ABOUT

The Mah Meri (pronounced [max mri]) is an ethnic group native to western part of Peninsular Malaysia. They are one of the 18 Orang Asli groups named by the Malaysian government. They are of the Senoi subgroup. Most of the members of the Mah Meri tribe live along the coast of South Selangor from Sungai Pelek up to Pulau Carey, although there is at least one Mah Meri Community on the other side of the Klang River.According to the Orang Asli Office of the Malaysian government, they numbered around 2200 in 2005. Most of the Mah Meri live in small villages (kampungs) on the fringes of other cities and on Pulau Carey, which has five separate villages of Mah Meri. The Mah Meri people are internationally well known for their traditional wood carving skills. Mah Meri in Mah Meri language means "Jungle people" (Mah = people, Meri = jungle).,, while in another term the meaning of the name means Bersisik (meaning, "scaly" in Malay language) or Persisir (meaning, "coastal" in Malay language). They are also considered as Orang Laut due to them residing in settlements that are nearby seasides and work as fishermen. They are believed to have migrated from the islands in southern Johor to the coastal shores of Selangor in order to escape from their enemies.