Senoi

Senoi
Sengoi / Sng'oi

A Senoi man (in the background) serving a hiker (foreground) as a guide at Mount Korbu, Perak, Malaysia.
Total population
(60.000)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia
Malaysia	60.000
Languages
Semai, Temiar, Jah Hut, Semaq Beri, Mah Meri, Che Wong, Temoq, Malay
Related ethnic groups
Semai, Temiar, Mah Meri, Jah Hut, Semaq Beri, Cheq Wong, Orang Asli

The Senoi (also spelled Sengoi and Sng'oi) are a set of Malaysian hunter-gatherers classified as Orang Asli or the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. They are the most numerous of the Orang Asli classification and widely distributed across the peninsula. The Senois speak various branches of Aslian languages which in turn a branch of Austroasiatic languages, many of them are also bilingual in the national language, Malaysian.

The Senoi tribes live in the central part of the Malaya Peninsula, and consist of six different groups, the Semai, Temiar, Mah Meri, Jah Hut, Semaq Beri and the Cheq Wong and have a total population of about 60,000.

The Senois speak various sub-branches of Aslian languages. The Aslian languages are divided into several branches namely Jahaic, Semelaic, Senoic and Jah Hut. Most Senois speak a branch of Semelaic, Senoic and Jah Hut branches. Almost all Senoic and Semelaic branches are spoken by Senoi peoples (with the exception of Lanoh which is classified as Semang but speak a branch of Senoic languages and Semelai which is classified as Proto-Malay but speak a branch of Semelaic languages. Jah Hut language is an isolate within Aslian languages.

Their ancestors are believed to have arrived from southern Thailand about 4,500 years ago.

During the Malayan Emergency, the guerrilla war fought from 1948 to 1960 a small fighting force, the Senoi Praaq was created, which is now part of the General Operations Force of the Royal Malaysia Police.