Kampung Chinggong or formerly known as Kampung Chinggung is an Orang Asli village in Behrang Station, Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia. It is approximately 5 km from Behrang Ulu and is located near the Titiwangsa Mountains.
History and Profile of Chinggong
Kampung Orang Asli Chinggong (KOA Chinggong) is an Orang Asli settlement associated with the Semai, one of the Senoi groups, in the Muallim area of Perak, Malaysia. The history of the community is associated with several traditional settlement, agricultural and burial areas, including Sago, Sungai Sekiah, Jernang, Ambra, Sungai Pragin and the former Batu Lapan settlement. The history of Chinggong has been preserved through a combination of oral traditions, genealogical accounts, administrative records, historical research and archival materials. Community oral histories describe a longstanding Orang Asli presence in the area, while documentary records from the 20th century provide evidence of the community's settlements, leadership and interactions with government authorities.
Early settlement, 1600-1914 According to the oral history of the Chinggong community, Sago was among the earliest settlement areas associated with the ancestors of the present-day Chinggong community. The area is remembered as an ancestral settlement where there were residential areas, agricultural plots and burial grounds. The community's oral tradition associates the early inhabitants of Sago and the surrounding areas with the ancestors of the Sagap family, whose members later became associated with the leadership of the Chinggong community. Community oral histories also describe traditional occupation extending beyond Sago to areas around Sungai Sekiah, Ambra, Jernang and Sungai Pragin. These areas were associated with settlement, agriculture, orchards and burial grounds. According to community accounts, traditional agricultural activities and settlement at Sungai Pragin existed from around the beginning of the 20th century and were associated with descendants of Orang Asli communities from Sago and Sungai Sekiah.
Hulu Bernam Malay Reserve, 1914 In 1914, the Hulu Bernam Malay Reserve was established under on 5 June 1914. The reserve included areas around Sungai Dara, Batu Lapan and Kampung Sungai Sekiah. The establishment of the reserve formed part of the development of formal land administration in the Hulu Bernam area. Community oral history maintains that Orang Asli settlements and traditional activities already existed in the surrounding landscape. During this period, Tok Batin Sagap is identified in the oral history of the Chinggong community as a community leader.
Settlement around Sungai Sekiah, Ambra and Jernang, 1914–1939 Between approximately 1914 and 1939, the Chinggong community is described in oral histories and family records as having lived in areas around Sungai Sekiah, Ambra and Jernang. The community's traditional activities included settlement, cultivation and the use of burial grounds. Historical locations associated with old graves, agricultural areas and former settlements remain part of the community's collective historical memory. The community also identifies Sungai Pragin as a traditional settlement and agricultural area. According to oral accounts, the area was associated with descendants of Orang Asli families from Sago and Sungai Sekiah.
Aboriginal Tribes Enactment, 1939 The Aboriginal Tribes Enactment (State of Perak Enactment No. 3 of 1939) formed part of the legal framework governing the administration of Orang Asli communities in Perak. Historical research by anthropologist Juli Edo examined the historical relationship between Seng-oi communities, traditional territories and changing systems of land administration in Perak. His doctoral thesis, Claiming Our Ancestors' Land: An Ethnohistorical Study of Seng-oi Land Rights in Perak, Malaysia, was submitted to the Australian National University in 1998. The 1939 enactment and related administrative records form part of the wider documentary history of Orang Asli communities in Perak as shown in schedule A in the Enactment that clearly mention the proof existed Senoi Settlement near Kiah (Sg. Kiah). At this time, Tok Batin Sagap is identified in the Kiah and later known as Chinggong community's oral history as its leader.
The Behrang school site and the 1947 correspondence A significant archival record relating to the Chinggong area dates to 19 December 1947. The record is held by the National Archives of Malaysia under accession number 1957/0304929W and originates from the Office of the State Secretary of Perak. The archival catalogue identifies the record as concerning a Sakai settlement, requests for duplicate documents relating to dusuns, and their allocation. Community historical accounts associate this record with Penghulu Sagap wrote to Perak Government on his disagreement related to Chinggong Land to be transfered or given to Malay School (Currently known as SK Behrang). The correspondence is regarded by the community as an important documentary record concerning the relationship between its leaders and traditional land during the post-war period during the British administration in Perak.
Batu 8 settlement, 1947–1970 From approximately 1947 to 1970, the Kiah Settlement move to the current Batu 8 Settlement near the Sg Behrang and transformed into the Chinggong settlement and their community is recorded in British Malaya histories and JHEOA-related accounts as having lived at Batu 8, near the school. The settlement included residential and agricultural activities. Community accounts also identify burial grounds, cultivated areas and traces of earlier settlement within the former settlement area. During this period, community leadership was associated with Tok Batin Bah Jawa Sagap.
Relocation during the 1970s During the 1970s, the Chinggong community was relocated from the Batu Lapan area to its present settlement area under the administration of the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA).Community oral history states that houses known as Rumah Melati were provided during the relocation period. The former settlement and agricultural areas continued to be remembered by the community as places associated with their ancestors and traditional activities. These areas are described in oral histories as containing burial grounds, cultivated land, orchards and traces of earlier occupation.Following the relocation, the community established its settlement at the present-day Kampung Orang Asli Chinggong area.
Chinggong in the 1990s During the 1990s, KOA Chinggong continued to develop as an established Orang Asli settlement in the Muallim area. The community's traditional landscape remained associated with several locations, including Chinggong, Sago, Sungai Sekiah, Jernang and Sungai Pragin.Community leadership during this period was associated with Tok Batin Ajid A/L Bah Set. Planning records from JPBD Perak in 1999 also form part of the historical documentation of the area and its surrounding settlements.
Notable person One notable person associated with Kampung Chinggong is Dato' TPr. Suki Mee, an Orang Asli town planner who originated from the village. He studied urban and regional planning and subsequently worked in both the public and private sectors. He has been described in professional and community sources as the first Orang Asli to be registered as a town planner in Malaysia.
Chinggong in the 21st century
In the early 21st century, KOA Chinggong continued to function as an Orang Asli settlement in the Muallim area. The community retained its connections with historical settlement areas and ancestral locations. Sago, Sungai Sekiah, Jernang, Sungai Pragin and Batu Lapan continue to feature in community histories and oral traditions concerning previous generations. Historical memories concerning former settlements, burial grounds, agricultural areas and family connections have continued to be passed between generations. On 2009, the settlement is modernized by new type of houses build by YOAP Berhad. Since 2024, the community has been led by Tok Batin Syarif A/L Selaseh.
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