Orang Laut facts for kids
An Orang Laut family living in a boat, circa 1914–1921.
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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
Andaman Archipelago: India Myanmar
Malay Peninsula:  Thailand Malaysia
Riau Archipelago:  Indonesia
 Singapore |
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| Languages | |
| Loncong language, Orang Seletar language, Malay language | |
| Religion | |
| Islam, Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Orang Kuala, Orang Seletar, Sama-Bajau, Moken, Urak Lawoi’ people |
The Orang Laut are a group of Malays living in the Riau Islands. Their name means the sea people. They used to be pirates.
Distribution
Broadly speaking, the term encompasses the numerous tribes and groups inhabiting the islands and estuaries in the Riau-Lingga Archipelagos, the Pulau Tujuh Islands, the Batam Archipelago, and the coasts and offshore islands of eastern Sumatra, southern Malaysia Peninsula and Singapore.
History
Historically, the Orang Laut played major roles in Srivijaya, the Sultanate of Malacca, and the Sultanate of Johor. They patrolled the adjacent sea areas, repelling real pirates, directing traders to their employers' ports and maintaining those ports' dominance in the area. The earliest description of the Orang Laut may have been by the 14th century Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan who described the inhabitants of Temasek (present day Singapore) in his work Daoyi Zhilüe.
Popular culture
In the story "The Disturber of Traffic" by Rudyard Kipling, a character called Fenwick misrenders the Orang Laut as "Orange-Lord" and the narrator character corrects him that they are the "Orang-Laut".
Images for kids
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An Orang Laut woman in Solok, Jambi southern Sumatra
