Jakuns
Encyclopedia
Jakuns are an aboriginal
race of the Malay Peninsula
. They have become much mixed with other tribes, and are found throughout the south of the peninsula and along the coasts. The purest types are straight-and coarse-haired, and exhibit typically Southeast Asian characteristics. They are closely related to the Malay people
and are probably a branch of the pre-Malay people, the "savage Malays" of A. R. Wallace.
The Jakuns are divided into two groups: Jakuns of the jungle and Jakuns of the sea or Orang Laut
. The latter set of tribes now consists of the remnants of the pirates and sea-gypsies of the Malaccan straits
.
The Jakuns are taller than the other aboriginal peoples of the Malay Peninsula, the Semang
and Sakai tribes. Jakun people typically have olive-brown to dark copper skin color. A Jakun man or woman has a round head, a flat face with a square lower jaw, a thick, short nose with wide, open nostrils, high and well-marked cheekbones, a blue-black hair color, black eyes, and scanty beard. All of these attributes are typical of tropical Asians. The Jakuns live a wild forest life, and in general habits much resemble the Sakai, being but little in advance of the latter in social conditions except where they come into close contact with the Malay peoples.
The Jakun people depend on fishing to live.
Another meaning for the word Jakun in the classic Malay is a derogatory term for a person who doesn't know something common. Example, if someone got agitated over a cellphone, he/she can be related as a jakun. It is originated from the Jakuns who are Natives in Malaya and never knew much about civil life. This term now is considered old use.
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
race of the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. They have become much mixed with other tribes, and are found throughout the south of the peninsula and along the coasts. The purest types are straight-and coarse-haired, and exhibit typically Southeast Asian characteristics. They are closely related to the Malay people
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
and are probably a branch of the pre-Malay people, the "savage Malays" of A. R. Wallace.
The Jakuns are divided into two groups: Jakuns of the jungle and Jakuns of the sea or Orang Laut
Orang Laut
The Orang Laut, or Bajau Laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. It also may refer to any Malay origin people living on coastal islands, including those of Andaman Sea islands in Thailand and Burma, commonly known as Moken.-Etymology:The Malay term orang laut...
. The latter set of tribes now consists of the remnants of the pirates and sea-gypsies of the Malaccan straits
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 to 1511.-Extent:...
.
The Jakuns are taller than the other aboriginal peoples of the Malay Peninsula, the Semang
Semang
The Semang are a Negrito ethnic group of the Malay Peninsula. Lowland Semang tribes are also known as Sakai, although this term is considered to be derogatory by the Semang people. They are probably the indigenous peoples of this area. They have been recorded to have lived here since before the...
and Sakai tribes. Jakun people typically have olive-brown to dark copper skin color. A Jakun man or woman has a round head, a flat face with a square lower jaw, a thick, short nose with wide, open nostrils, high and well-marked cheekbones, a blue-black hair color, black eyes, and scanty beard. All of these attributes are typical of tropical Asians. The Jakuns live a wild forest life, and in general habits much resemble the Sakai, being but little in advance of the latter in social conditions except where they come into close contact with the Malay peoples.
The Jakun people depend on fishing to live.
Another meaning for the word Jakun in the classic Malay is a derogatory term for a person who doesn't know something common. Example, if someone got agitated over a cellphone, he/she can be related as a jakun. It is originated from the Jakuns who are Natives in Malaya and never knew much about civil life. This term now is considered old use.