Orang Kanaq
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (100) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Malaysia (Johor) |
238 (2010) |
| Languages | |
| Orang Kanaq language, Malay language | |
| Religion | |
| No religious system (originally and predominantly),Christianity, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Jakun people, Orang Kuala, Orang Seletar, Temuan people, Orang Laut | |
Orang Kanaq are one of the 18 Orang Asli ethnic groups in Malaysia. They are classified under the Proto-Malay people group, which forms the three major people group of the Orang Asli. The Orang Kanaq are considered as the smallest Orang Asli group with the population of approximately 90 people only. The spoken language of the Orang Kanaq resembles the Malay language but with a distinct coarse accent.
The Orang Kanaq were originally one of the Sea Gypsy peoples, from Pulau Sekanak in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. They started to migrate to Peninsula Malaysia in around 1784 from Riau just before a Dutch resident was set up there in 1795. Initially, they settled at Mawai Lama, Kota Tinggi but relocated to Selayang during the Malayan Emergency during the 1950s. They are considered to be one of the country's earliest inhabitants even though they have been living on the Peninsula for only about 200 years.
Currently, they are situated at Kampung Sungai Selangi, Mawai, Kota Tinggi, Johor. Out of the 147,412 Orang Asli from 18 tribes in Malaysia, the Kanaqs make up the smallest number. The inhabitants of the Sungai Selangi village comprise 87 Orang Kanaq people, including 3 Malays, from 23 families. The village took shape in 1965, with only 40 Kanaq residents from 10 families.
In the past, the Orang Kanaq were slave workers tapping trees in rubber plantations. Today, one of their main source of income comes from their work in oil palm plantation managed by the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA). They are also lagging behind in modern technology and education and are still working as labourers in rubber and shrub plantations. It is difficult for the close-knitted Orang Kanaq community to be separated as they avoid marrying outsiders. They believe that such unions will bring curses upon their tribe. Low birthrates have caused their numbers to dwindle over the years.
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