Essay About Batek Culture

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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 …show more content…

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

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