CULTURE OF THE BATEK
Introduction
In this paper, I will discuss the basics of the Batek culture and how being an egalitarian society permeates their culture. The Batek are a society consisting of approximately 800 people living primarily in the state of Kelantan on the Malaysia Peninsula. They are an egalitarian society, which is a concept where social equality is essential, and neither males nor females have control over the other group (Endicott, K. M., & Endicott, K. L., 2008). They are known as hunters and gatherers and are nomadic, moving as needed based on weather, food supply, and the forest (Endicott, K. M., & Endicott, K. L., 2008). The egalitarian nature of this group of people permeates all areas of their culture, as we shall see while examining their
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The Batek society is small, but it is well-developed culturally. They are happy with their way of life and prefer it to any other. They live in the forest they believe provides food and protection for them; They, in turn, protect the forest by moving and allowing it to regenerate. The Batek are fully aware that the one gender may perform a particular activity relatively better than the other, but neither is valued more than the other. Men are the primary hunters because they can blow a dart further. Women thatch the roofs because they are better at it. The end result is that they work together as men and women and as a village to sustain their way of life. These are a non-violent, non-competitive people living a simple life in the way they have for centuries. As Malaysian land is taken for other purposes, the Batek continue to be forced into a smaller and smaller area. It is possible the Batek culture may disappear completely as these changes