-
124 Malay-style house at basecamp Batek now build semi-permanent Malay-style houses like this at basecamps. They typically alternate between living in basecamps and in temporary camps in the forest.
-
077 Woman performing blood sacrifice Batek believe that thunderstorms are sent by a superhuman being, Gobar, as punishment for people breaking certain prohibitions. To stop the storm, they scratch their shin with a knife, mix the blood with water, and throw some of the mixture on the ground, for the earth deity, and into the air, for the thunder-god. Women do this more often than men, in part because they tend to take responsibility for their childrens transgressions. Here a woman is cutting her leg. She will then rub the blood on the leg of her son, who committed the prohibited act of laughing at butterflies, to pick up his smell. Then she will mix the blood with water in a metal bowl (bottom) and throw it to the deities while reciting a ritual formula.
-
076 Dead gibbon Gibbons can also be killed by blowipes and poisoned darts. Here a man holds a dead white handed gibbon.
-
075 Woman weaving sleeping mat Batek typically sleep on mats woven from pandanus leaves, using a cotton sarong for a blanket. This woman is weaving a sleeping mat while her baby clings to her.
-
074 Woman shaving sons head Boys and men sometimes have their hair shaved off to get rid of lice. Here a woman shaves her sons head with a knife, while her baby looks on.
-
073 Man threading tubers on rattan Once tubers have been dug up, they can rot or ferment and become bitter. This man is threading some takop tubers on a strand of rattan, so he can suspend them over the fire and dry them to inhibit spoilage
-
072 Girls shooting blowpipes 2 Here two young girls are shooting at birds
-
071 Children making blowpipe darts Hunters often spend leisure time making new blowpipe darts. Here two girls (on left) and one boy are making darts. Another boy holds a blowpipe with clay packed around the end. Youngsters like to make balls of clay and shoot them through blowpipes at small animals. Their bamboo tube of dart poison leans against a stick in the center.