Page 18 - FLIPBOOK CONFERENCE (1)_Neat

DECONSTRUCTING THE DWELLINGS OF THE HUNTER GATHERERS IN
TAMAN NEGARA PAHANG: CULTURAL PRACTICES, TRADITIONAL

KNOWLEDGE, AND TABOOS

WRITTEN BY: BADLI ESHAM AHMAD, MOHD AMLI ABDULLAH, MOHD ROZAIDI ISMAIL, MOHD FUAD ABDULLAH, MOHD
IQBAL MOHD NOOR, ZULKIFLEE BIN ABD LATIF, NORAZLIN SUBOH

A community is determined not only by its group’s characteristics or internal personality such as common interests and shared experiences
but also based on their physical surroundings. In oder to understand community dynamics and distinction, one need to assess its physical
environment that might foster the collective identity of the community and the Orang Asli in Malaysia is no exception. There are eighteen
Orang Asli tribes in Malaysia, and they can be further sub categorized under three different subgroups: Negrito, Senoi and Proto Malays. The
Batek in Taman Negara Pahang fall under the Negrito subgroup that spreads across three eastern states of Peninsular Malaysia: Pahang,
Terengganu, and Kelantan. They are a tribe of hunter gatherers and rely on the forest for their sustenance. There have been numerous
research on the Batek interaction with the forest, their role in ecotourism, community health, economy, education and also language.
However, studies on Batek cultural practices have been conducted but only on the surface as no study focus on the cultural practices and
taboos in constructing their dwellings. Thus, the study sets out to document the types of dwellings, and to understand the construction,
materials, reasons; and taboos behind the construction of the different types of dwellings. Various types of huts, lean-tos and houses are
described with discussions on the choice of materials and site selection. The study is qualitative and employed semi structured interviews
and non-participant observation as method of data inquiry and collection. The area of study is Taman Negara (National Park) in Kuala
Tahan, Pahang, Malaysia. Five villages were used for observation; four villages are on the perimeter of Taman Negara, and one lies within
the Taman Negara. Findings from the study reveal that in constructing their dwellings, the Batek still adhere to the traditional cultural
practices of the tribe although not to the letter. There are various taboos that still influence their choice of materials as well as site selection.
The study ends with a discussion on the need for preserving such cultural values for the future generation.
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