In Malaysian folklore, the Orang Mawas or Mawas (also known as the Orang Dalam) is an entity reported to inhabit the jungle of Johor in Malaysia. It is described as being about 10 ft (2.4–3 m) tall, bipedal and covered in black fur, and has been reported feeding on fish and raiding orchards. There have been many sightings of the creature, which the local Orang Asli people call hantu jarang gigi, which translates as 'Snaggle-toothed Ghost'.[1] Recorded claims of Mawas sightings date back to 1871.[2] Some speculate the creature may be a surviving Gigantopithecus (or at least a folk memory of the animal), while the scientific community tends to dismiss the sightings as misidentified sun bears. Similar creatures are reported in other countries in southeast Asia, such as the Muwa in the Philippines or the Butnak (Thai: บุดนาก[3]) in southern Thailand.

In Sumatra, mawas (sometimes maias) is common name for the orangutan.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Malaysian man-ape seen". Fortean Times. Dennis Consumer Division (207): 4–5. April 2006.
  2. ↑ McGirk, Jan (2006-02-25). "Stalking Bigfoot". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  3. ↑ White dress (2014-08-21). "5 สัตว์ประหลาดที่มีคนอ้างว่าพบเห็นในประเทศไทย" [5 monsters that are claimed to be seen in Thailand]. dek-d (in Thai). Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  4. ↑ Rubis, June Mary (2020). "The orang utan is not an indigenous name: knowing and naming the maias as a decolonizing epistemology". Cultural Studies. 34 (5): 811–830. doi:10.1080/09502386.2020.1780281. S2CID 221192990.
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