This is Passion, and Where it Goes: Despair and Suicide among Semai, A Nonviolent People of West Malaysia

Dentan, Robert Knox

doi:10.4000/moussons.4058

moussons

2000

DOI: 10.4000/moussons.4058

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This is Passion, and Where it Goes: Despair and Suicide among Semai, A Nonviolent People of West Malaysia

Robert Knox Dentan¹

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2007

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“…This is the case for the Batek in Peninsular Malaysia (Endicott and Bellwood 1991), the Mlabri of northern Thailand (Pookajorn et al 1992), and for Borneo nomads (Sellato 1989, 1994a, Brosius 1991a. Indeed, apart from their main staple food, nomads complement their diet with 'lots of little things' (Dentan 1991), a range of smaller creatures, including lizards, frogs, water molluscs, and palm grubs.…”

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Beyond the Green Myth: Borneo´ s Hunter-Gatherers in the Twenty-First Century

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2007

Asean Economic Bulletin

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for their redrawing of some of the maps; and to the Punan, Penan (Western and Eastern), Bukat, and other communities of nomads and former nomads in all parts of Borneo, with whom we have all been acquainted for extended periods of time, and whose warm hospitality we, contributors and editors alike, have had the chance to enjoy. Needless to say, without the friendly assistance of scores of informants in many settlements, the present book would never have come into being. Forewordxiii record-keeping bureaucrats. Following the lead of co-editor Bernard Sellato, the authors of this volume have made special efforts to restore histories to the groups they have studied. They have done this by collecting detailed oral histories from older people, cross-checking accounts between informants in the same and different groups, and tying these accounts into events recorded in written records whenever possible. The results counter the illusion that hunting and gathering societies were static before European contact and reveal the dynamics of culture change in these groups. This book documents that some groups have migrated over long distances, not just moved about in an annual round. Groups have frequently split or fused, and identities have often changed. Under some circumstances groups have settled down, and under others they have become more nomadic. When settled, some have assimilated and merged with nearby farming peoples, while others have not. And trade relations with outsiders have varied and fluctuated, ranging from equal partnerships to slavery. Unfortunately, however, these histories are limited in time depth to the last few centuries. Answers to such questions as whether all Bornean hunter-gatherers have common ancestors and whether some or all of them are ultimately descended from farming peoples must await further evidence and analysis from archaeology, linguistics, and comparative ethnology.By providing these histories and, in one memorable chapter, presenting a Punan leader's own understanding of their situation, the authors bring out the basic humanity of the hunting and gathering peoples of Borneo. There is a strong tendency in huntergatherer studies to analyse hunting and gathering groups as though they are like animal communities, adapting to particular environments in ways determined by such abstractions as 'carrying capacity'. This book shows them as the intelligent, multi-faceted individuals they are, with interests, hopes, and values, making decisions on the basis of what they know and want. The book also shows that they do not passively acquiesce to pressure from powerful outsiders, rather they actively manipulate and negotiate with outsiders in attempting to achieve their goals. For example, they readily adopt the ideas and rhetoric of environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) when it helps them make claims to land and resources that they value. They have even adopted new religions and created new customs when they have seen the need. The histories revealed in this book help to answer the bas...

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Beyond the Green Myth: Borneo´ s Hunter-Gatherers in the Twenty-First Century

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2007

Asean Economic Bulletin

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Schooling vs. Education, Hidden vs. Overt Curricula

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2008

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This is Passion, and Where it Goes: Despair and Suicide among Semai, A Nonviolent People of West Malaysia

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Beyond the Green Myth: Borneo´ s Hunter-Gatherers in the Twenty-First Century

Beyond the Green Myth: Borneo´ s Hunter-Gatherers in the Twenty-First Century

Schooling vs. Education, Hidden vs. Overt Curricula

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