Peninsular Malaysia forms one side of the Strait of Malacca,
the busiest shipping lane in the world. The Semelai are one of the eighteen
Orang Asli (indigenous peoples) of Peninsular Malaysia. There are about 10,000
Semelai today but when Professor Emerita Rosemary Gianno first went to learn about their forest product
collecting and trade in 1980, there were only about 3,000. In this presentation,
she discusses aspects of Semelai soul-flight shamanism and attempt to place
Semelai in their historical context, living in a lush tropical rainforest in
proximity to the maritime Silk Road.
