Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

XIV. SOME NOTES ON ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF
UPPER PERAK. (Plates XXXI—XXXIV).
By Ivor H. N. Evans, B.A., Assistant Curator and Ethno-
graphical Assistant F.M.S. Museiims.
The following observations were made among three
aboriginal tribes during an expedition to Upper Perak in
March and April of 1915. The tribes visited were the Semang
of Grik, the Orang Jehehr of Temengoh, and the Hill Sakai of
the main range, the particular sections of the last-named
tribe met with livmg close to the bridle path which runs from
Temengoh to Lasah in Ulu Plus. I here deal with each tribe
separately and in the order given above.
THE NEGRITOS OF GRIK. (Plate XXXL Fig. i).
The Negritos of Grik appear to be absolutely similar to
those of Lenggong, whom I have already described in a former
number of this Journal.* I purpose therefore to say but little
about them here, with the exception of setting down any information
which I did not obtain at Lenggong. It has, I
think, been customary to look upon the Negritos or Semang
of Grik as being of purer race than those of Lenggong, and,
indeed, in the article on the Lenggong tribe I myself spoke
of "the pure Semang of Grikt." The Grik people told me
that some of them are related to individuals of the Lenggong,
Gelok, and Kuala Kenering communities, but I gathered they
do not hold very much intercourse with them. The Malays
call these small bands of Semang from Lenggong to and
beyond Grik, Sakai Jerani. They speak a Sakai, i.e., non-
Semang dialect, and are of fairly pure Negrito stock.
In my former paper on the Semang of Lenggong I stated,
on evidence obtained from the Negritos of Ijok,t that the
Lenggong tribe called themselves Semark Blum. This information
is perfectly correct, but I find (from what I learnt at
Grik) that the translation of the name which I gave, i.e. men
of the big (water), is not. Semark in the first place does not
appear to mean men in general (homines), but is used in reference
to the aborigines only; secondly, Ong Blum, which I
translated " big water," is as far as I can make out the aboriginal
name for the Perak river, which presumably rises not far
from the Blum district in Upper Perak. Ong Blum, thyefore,
means the Blum River (or water), and Semark Blum, the
aborigines of the Blum. Of course the Perak river is to them
//ig big river (or water), hence, I imagine, the mistake.^ The
. ^
* Journal F.M.S. Museums Vol. V, No. 2, 1914.
t I had not then visited them.
I See also " Notes on the aboriginal inhabitants of Ijok," Journal F.M.S.
Museums, Vol. V, No. 4.
H " The big Perak river " would, they said, be " Ong Blum chekah':"