Batek folk fighting for existence
THE nomadic Batek people have inhabited the tropical rain forest of the peninsula for thousands of years. Their lives have interwoven with the forest itself.
Life has changed little for them till today. With very few permanent homes, the Bateks build the thatched lean-to-shelters underneath the large canopy of the rain forest. They still hunt small game with simple weapons and gather fruits and tubers that the forest provides them in abundance.
Although they speak fluent Malay today, they prefer their own language which has its origin in the Mon-Khmer dialects of IndoChina.
Religion is not a distinct part of their culture, but an all encompassing framework of ideas and beliefs within which their lives can be conducted in surety and understanding.
However, the traditional lifestyle of the Batek is now under pressure due to constant deforestation and other man-made activities. It won’t be long before the peninsula’s last of the nomadic community abandons its natural lifestyle and settles down permanently.
“We are just guardians of the forest and we cannot take more than we need, but town people come here and take everything like the trees and pollute the river with development. So I don’t know how long we can continue to roam the forests,” said Hamdan Keladi, a Batek headman in Gua Musang, Kelantan.
In fact, recent census showed there are only 1,000 Bateks distributed throughout the rain forest of Kelantan and surrounding states.
They are a part of Negrito ethnic family. They are collectively called orang asli. Eventually, this native community contributes about 150,000 of the country’s total population.
In my opinion, there must be profound management policies and strong Acts to protect these indigenous people who are virtual mirror images of the rain forest.
I believe it is time to help the remaining Bateks before their gene pool goes out forever.
Civilisation is a life in harmony with nature, promising a secure and self-respecting sustainable future for the whole community.
DR TAPASH RUDRA Faculty of Science Lincoln University College