From: Lye Tuck-Po, ed. 2001. Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia: A Comprehensive and Annotated Bibliography, CSEAS Research Report Series No. 88. Kyoto: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University. (pp. xii–ix)
Preface and Acknowledgements
This bibliography contains over 1700 references to research materials on Peninsular Malaysia’s indigenous ethnic minorities, the Orang Asli, and on related groups in Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. The oldest references date from the 17th century and the most recent are from the latter half of 2001. In additional to standard textual sources (i.e., books, articles, reports, theses, newspaper and magazine stories, archived documents, memoranda, press releases, and newsletters), this bibliography also lists audiovisual materials (films, videos, gramophone and compact disc recordings) and museum and archival collections in Malaysia and abroad. These references are organized in four parts, with the bulk of the items being listed in Part I. Each section is self-contained. There are no duplications and the items are numbered sequentially from start to end.
The introductory essay is a historical overview of the conditions under which information on Orang Asli was produced and the types of materials that are represented in this bibliography. Guides to the usage ofthis bibliography are elaborated in the Bibliographic Styles section and summarized in the Quick Guide that follows it. Following the bibliographic listings are three Appendices: a glossary ofthe names of Orang Asli ethnic groups, organization of author names by time periods, and list of student reports, exercises, theses, and dissertations. Finally, the bibliography rounds up with four Indices: topical index, name index, group index, and place-name index.
Orang Asli researchers have long felt the need for a good bibliography. There is a sizeable literature on the Orang Asli, ranging from book-length studies of spe- cific ethnic groups, to scattered mentions in broader studies of various aspects of Malaysian society, history, or politics. Although not the first stand-alone Orang Asli comprehensive bibliography, nor even the first that provides accompanying notes, this may be the first book-length bibliography that tries to be both comprehensive and annotated. Given the ambitious task We have set ourselves, and the limited amount of time available to focus on the compilation of this bibliography, this document is by no means exhaustive.
Something needs to be said about the way this bibliography came together. Although one editor’s name is on the cover, many people helped with the compilation. As soon as we made the decision to go ahead with this bibliography, I sent out a general call on the Internet for individual bibliographies and curriculum vitae. From these various submissions, the pertinent references were imported into an Endnote database, where I was already maintaining a personal bibliography. That database grew rapidly from then on. As time permitted, new references were sought from various people connected to the intemet-based network of researchers and new publications were added to the database. For references on particular topics or of particular types, requests were made of individuals most likely to have compiled them. New submissions were also culled from online databases, extant bibliographies (that is, among those listed in Part 3 of this bibliography) and bibliographies in published books or theses.
Andy Hickson, Adela Baer, and Niclas Burenhult generously permitted their bibliographies (Baer #85, Burenhult #1678, and Hickson’s website bibliography on http://temiar.com) to be incorporated into this manuscript, as did Kirk Endicott, who sent along the 1992 Group Directory of Orang Asli Studies (#1687) with its extensive publication lists, and Henry Chan, who had drawn on the fruits of a research network in the 1980s to prepare an extensive and unpublished bibliography. As this bibliography took shape, it quickly approached comprehensive status. Without the consistent help and interest of the contributors, it is unlikely that much could have been accomplished.
The idea for this bibliography first emerged in an email from Adela Baer in late 1999. That this work has come to successful completion so rapidly is helped, as the foregoing shows, by the combined efforts of the contributors. They helped to trace references, attended to my queries for suggestions and feedback, and responded to many calls for annotations, clarifications—and corrections! I would especially like to acknowledge the extensive input of Colin Nicholas, Geoffrey Benjamin, and Adela Baer. This bibliography represents a collective effort and should be recognized as such.
We have benefitted greatly from the Internet and especially the Orang Asli discussion list run by Barbara S. Nowak. As a bulletin board for announcing new publications, the progress of manuscripts, and so on, the discussion list has been invaluable. It is a truism that a bibliographic project cannot proceed without access to a well-stocked subject-focused library; I am doubly thankful that we were able to circumvent practical problems due to people’s willingness to share information—and the knowledge borne of accumulated years of scholarship. I would also like to record my gratitude to those who over the years have generously given me reprints and copies of manuscripts and publications.
During the first year ofpreparing this manuscript, I was a member of the Center of Excellence (COE) project of Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS). I was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science. It is a great pleasure to thank these institutions. I would like to acknowledge my host sensei, Tanaka Koji of the CSEAS, for inviting me to take up the fellowship and for his encouragement of my work. To him and to Tachimoto Narifumi sensei, Director ofthe Center, I owe special thanks for supporting the publication of this bibliography.
In 2001, work on the bibliography also benefitted from Visiting Fellowships at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, and the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific project of the Department of Human Geography, RSPAS, Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. I would like to thank my hosts in these institutions, Abe Ken-1ch1 and Fadzillah Cooke.
As with many Orang Asli researchers, one of my greatest intellectual debts is to my host Orang Asli community, the Batek of Pahang. To all Orang Asli, and to their continued well-being, this bibliography is dedicated.
Lye Tuck-Po
October 2001. Kuala Lumpur
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