Abstract
In this research paper, we will use the culture of the Batek people of Malaysia. This paper will show how primary mode of subsistence affects other aspects of cultural behavior and why culture acts the way it does. We will identify and analysis the culture of this peoples primarily mode of subsistence on gender relation, values and beliefs and political organization.
Introduction
Batek people are among other diverse cultural groups of the Orangi Asli people who live in central Malaysia. This indigenous people live in the rainforest of peninsular Malaysia their name means “original people”. This name was given to them by the Austronesian people who lived in Malaysia from southern East Asia. Due to intrusion, the Austronesian language people stay in National Park of Taman. The culture of batek people is usually very different from that of other general population; in that their settlement keeps on changing. This is because they are nomadic hunters and gathers. This people have survived for long as nomadic foraging-gatherer society and managed to create and sustain a considerably unique culture form the social structural of the population.
The Batek life
When we look at the past life of the Batek people, their tradition subsisted mainly on the things that they gathered in the forest. This included stuff such as fish, fruits, leaves shoots, and minor games like providing food for the forest monkeys. After this, the Batek people started subsisting on other commercial food stuff like rice, biscuits, canned sardines, and sugar tea. All this was because of the economy betterment. Due to this the subsistence of wild foods from the forest decreased due to the increases of dependence of food stuff that were collected in the market. This was also affected by their movement, which mostly affected, the availability of this wild food stuff. Streams and rivers play an important role in the Batek lives. They used water for household purposes and bathing too. They also collected fish from these rivers, and rivers acted as natural territorial boundaries for the Batek people. For this reason, Batek people mainly preferred camping near rivers and streams (Endicott, K. 1988).
The Batek people have a moral responsibility of sharing their food. When food was gathered form the forest, it was first given to the family members who then shared equally among themselves. In most events and occasions, this people had a lot of food because of the large amount of hurting and meat slaughter. A good example is hunting of monkeys, in which the part that hunted the monkey will get tail and offal while the cooked meat will be equally divided to the family members. The funny thing about this is that this does not mean the Batek people believe in sharing. Their philosophy is very different; in that they believe food that is gathered from the forest is the property of forest and that it should be equally distributed among all families as a moral obligation. Their homes did not make enough storage capacity because they did not store food without telling others about it. They generally distributed all the food among their groups (Endicott, K. 1988).
The primary channel of survival of the Batek people is sharing gathered food from the forest. They also trade on this forest food for manufactured goods as well as agricultural products. In periods of 18th century and the WW2, the batek people shared a common territory with farmers of Malon group whose residence was along the major rivers. In the 20th century, the number of families that were proposed to rare Batek Lebir the federal immigration sponsored by the department of indigenous affairs of Malaysia. This was because it was operating in remote jungle areas having been threatened by the communist guerrillas. For the last 50 years of the 20th century, the Batek people have been the only permanent settlement of this area, although they have no legal ownership or control of the area. However, they have being allowed the state owned land that is not being used (Endicott, K. 1988).
After Lebir, they joined the other dialects who had settled their in Batek minorities. The government of Malaysia established schools, medical camps, reported Lebir and other facilities. They also provided seeds and types of facilities for rubber trees and food crops of the settlers were also there. Government agencies also provided small numbers of cows to help them push a different way of life. Now the post Lebir Batek are living part of their lives to get food form their crops and also from rations that are provided by the government considered to be part of their wages (Endicott, K. 1988).
Most of their revenues come from the collection and trade of the products that have been collected in the forest. Gahau and rattan was usually collected by the Batek people and used in the preparation of incenses and perfumes. Many man form the Post Lebir spend most of their time in the forest collecting forest products while some of the Batek women also helped in the collection of this fruits (Endicott, K. 1988).
Relai Rivers, Aring and Lebir, were the places where nomadic subsistence of Batek was present. They also engaged themselves in the collection of the Gahau wood. They relied on foods such as rice and flour to buy their subsistence, but the main source of income was the wild tubers and fruits that were collected from the forest. Game meat and fish is still their main source. Therefore, the two semi- nomadic and also nomadic Batek depend on the natural resources from the tropical rain forest (Lye, T. 2004).
In Malaysia Peninsula, the natural rainforest was converted into crops that were commercial in nature. These crops included oil palms, rubber tubers among many others, and are considered to be the development of that territory. The good thing about this is that it has always been a good economic advantage, since the use of agriculture, rather than using natural resources such as the Malaysia agriculture, forestry strategy. The loss of this forest will be difficulty for the Batek people and may result in their living standards. Currently there are two possible ways of their retreat. There are those that are willing to agree to a sedentary life settlement and join their relatives in the Post Lebir so that the government can arrange for more land to accommodate them (Lye, T. 2004).
The Batek have suffered from the outside world, and government agencies have not been increasing interventions to help them. Cash income for the Post Liber is the end of the forest. They now will be forced to live on their own crops, completely complementary with the government. This might lead to moral decay and malnutrition as well that will result in the young Batek leave settlement. It is striking that young man after Lebir have recently joined Malaysian army (Lye, T. 2004).
There is, therefore, a movement of young Batek people’s urban employment opportunities. Batek will always, therefore, continue to practice mixed forest food production and trade for their livelihood because they have known the system for a long time. Now that, the forest has continued gradually to follow apart, some groups spend in the national park. They continue to prefer the as old way of life leading to the possibility of deforestation and agricultural development on government decision (Lye, T. 2004).
Political Organization
Usually Batek people reside in domestic family groups. Most of this people live in tents and form camps of about ten people in each tent, and thus there is no land ownership in their view. Each camp as its surrounding land but still they think of themselves as land of administrator, rather than its owner. This people really lead a life, for example, there is internal, ,judicial system or even a leader. Therefore, the adult members of each faction are equal. They also have no formal procedures for any conflict resolution. Should there be any matter between members, it is discussed privately. Everyone is allowed to share their side of the argument to other members of the camp who might have the solution. In case the solution does not come up, one is removed until the tempers calm down (Bruce, D. (1993).
When plant resources available have exhausted, Batek people move to another place in their habitat. They also have a unique and complex economy. Despite the fact that they do not the same things, such as land ownership, still it is their common loan, even without the ownership knowledge. This is borrowed from the social norms in order to guide them to share with the whole community, such as feeding a lot of things found food (Bruce, D. (1993).
Batek people emphasize nuclear family; in that in every group or gathering, there is no anything like being superior to others. There is no position for power for anyone of the members. But the good thing about this people is that there is always cooperation and coordination between the members of the groups for work. Generally the Batek people do not consider leadership as an important role (Bruce, D. (1993).
Gender Relations
Batek people have a non-discriminatory relationship between men and women. The concept of gender is influenced by their activities such as hunting, gathering and subsistence which have a primary mode. The Batek people have a strong relation to sharing of food and also procurement of the same. Women gather food such as vegetables while men collect game hunting and other products that are related to forest. But till if any woman is willing to go hunting its allowed and men can as well collect fruits and vegetable if they feel like. Therefore, the Batek people consider that contribution of both men and women is equally important to food supply. Everyone in the camp has a direct and equal sharing system in achieving the role of food distribution in the camp (Endicott, K. 2004)
The activities of both Batek men and women do not have any fast rules and hard for separation, all that matters is the personality and the ability of the individual. It is also the same when it comes to leadership where gender is not considered standard. Both men and women engage in the collection and trading of the rattan, which is usually one of the main economic activities. In cases where there is government plan, both men and women can equally participate in agricultural activities (Endicott, K. 2004)
The structure of culture clearly shows the equality of the nature of marriage between the Batek people. The choices of both male and female adults are only based on the emotional and compatibility of spouses on their own. Husband and wife jointly made camp on the food collection and also transfer decision. Usually both men and women lives are highly integrated together and they spend time working together. Spouses, therefore, become good colleagues and friends. In case this relation break down, either of the two spouses may divorce. (Endicott, K. 2004)
Values and beliefs
According to the Batek people a group of superman created land and surrounded it by sea. They believe that human beings are created by the superpower and that this superpower has discriminated them with ordinal humans. They also believe that plants and animals were also created by this superhuman. They argue that they asked for a variety of food products, and there wish was fulfilled immediately (Endicott, K. 2004)
They will also require this superhuman for treatment of their ailments. Batek people, therefore, feel obliged to give them something to ask. They have this feeling because they believe, that failure of the request may result to the superhuman punishing them. They also believe that in case of a request for a favor, the whole camp might be harmed instead of the single person
It is believed that the Batek people are powerful sorcerer with tiger organization. They say that during the night, when shaman is asleep, his soul enters into the tiger’s body. They believe that when at night, sleeping in the tigers shadow and soul, the tiger-shaman takes care of his companion form the wild animals attack (Endicott, K. 2004)
Conclusion
The encroachment of the modern world over the years has created a problem for the Bateks. But the solution of the problem has now been found by the Batek of Taman Negara. Their interest to maintain flexibility makes them subsistent farmers and not secondary entrepreneurs. Agriculture is not appropriate according to the Batek as involves a lot of time and effort; u can enjoy the results before investing heavily.
They, therefore, prefer to do wage labor as it involves the same day, in front of the work of the arrears. This shows how Batek maintain and accept their own culture in a very important way. The current government policy is not conducive or even self-sufficient to the economy of the Batek people. Relocation from their traditional homes and lack of real economic alternatives places the Batek in a very weak position.
Like all other indigenous people in different countries, the Batek should also be able to enjoy the benefits of development. This includes their survival strategies and the relocation of the decision in no way be forced to implement them. They should be allowed to live in the greater social integration in Malaysia and benefit using their own decision. This also should include their hunting and gathering activities in the territories of their ancestors.
References
Bonta, and Bruce, D. (1993). Peaceful Peoples: an Annotated Bibliography ISBN 0-8108-2785-9. Metuchen NJ: Scarecrow, p.29-31
Endicott Kirk. (2004). “The Batek of peninsular Malaysia.” The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gatherers ISBN 0-521-57109-X, p.298
Lye Tuck-Po. (2004). Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation and the Batek of Pahang Malaysia ISBN 0-7391-0650-3. Lanham, MD: Lexington, p.2-4
Endicott, Kirk, (1988). “Property, Power and Conflict Among the Batek of Malaysia.” Hunters and gatherers 2: Property Power and Ideology ISBN 0-85496-735-4, p.116-118
