Published in 1937. This book, written by the well-known authority on the ethnology and archaeology of the Malay Peninsula, presents a compact and detailed account of the Negritos, one of the three paga races of the Peninsula. It brings up to date much of the previous work on this subject, and deals with all aspects of their character and environment. By way of introduction, there is a general description of the geography and development of the Peninsula, together with a discussion of statistics concerning the tribe's distribution, their health, habitat, and territories. The author then examines the various aspects of their everyday life, including social and domestic customs, hunting, agriculture, dress, ornamentation, musical instruments, and art, as well as their religious beliefs and superstitions. The chapters on their weapons are particularly detailed and informative, and the book is supported throughout by useful illustrations. Although many further studies of this area and its people have been made since the first publication of this book in 1937, its methodical and careful documentation has yet to be superseded, and it remains indispensable to all students of anthropology and sociology.

A groundbreaking study of a little known and often neglected Asian indigenous culture.

Bringing together over thirty years of detailed ethnographic research on the Menraq of Malaysia, this fascinating book analyzes and documents the experience of development and modernization in tribal communities. Descendents of hunter-gatherers who have inhabited Southeast Asia for about 40,000 years, the Menraq (also known as Semang or Negritos) were nomadic foragers until they were resettled in a Malaysian government-mandated settlement in 1972. Modernity and Malaysia begins with the ‘Jeli Incident’ in which several Menraq were alleged to have killed three Malays, members of the dominant ethnic group in the country. Alberto Gomes links this uncharacteristic violence to Menraq experiences of Malaysian-style modernity that have left them displaced, depressed, discontented, and disillusioned. Tracing the transformation of the lives of Menraq resulting from resettlement, development, and various ‘civilizing projects’, this book examines how the encounter with modernity has led the subsistence-oriented, relatively autonomous Menraq into a life of dependence on the state and the market. Challenging conventional social scientific understanding of concepts such as modernity and marginalization, and providing empirical material for comparison with the experience of modernity for indigenous peoples around the world, Modernity and Malaysia is a valuable resource for students and scholars of anthropology, development studies and indigenous studies, as well as those with a more general interest in asian studies.