Meshech Weare (1713–1786) was a New Hampshire farmer, lawyer, and a revolutionary politician who represented the Seabrook and Hampton Falls area. Weare served as the first President of New Hampshire from 1776 to 1785. Weare's papers reside in the NH State Archives, and were selected for inclusion in the NH Citizen Archivists' Initiative.
Robert K. Dentan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in American Studies in 1958 followed by a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Yale in 1965. He is currently a Full Professor of Anthropology (and formerly of American Studies) at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB). His fieldwork in Malaysia spans a thirty-year period, beginning in 1961 and continuing through 1993 and has principally involved work with the Semai along with the Btsisi. His specializations include ethnography, cultural ecology, hierarchical and egalitarian forms of social organization, ideology, cognition and worldview, deviance and labeling, ethnicity, nonviolence, altered states of consciousness and economic development. Between 1970 and 2000 he has presented over seventy lectures, conference papers and presentations, including many with an Orang Asli subject matter. His most recent conference paper was a March 2000 lecture at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies and was titled "Modernization, Spiritual Development and the Systematic Elimination of Orang Asli from Malaysian Life: Islamicization as Political Ethnocide". Dentan is the author of numerous reviews, journal articles, book chapters, and several books and monographs including The Semai: a Nonviolent People of Malaysia that was first published in 1968. He is the recipient of a number of awards, honors and research grants and has been active as a reviewer, faculty advisor and committee member on the UB campus. He also has served in several administrative positions at UB: as Director of Graduate Studies in American Studies in 1970 and from 1977-1981; as Chair of American Studies between 1981-1984 and as Director of U.S. Studies between 1986-1987; and as Acting Chair of American Studies in the summer of 1987. He has also been a faculty member of the Anthropology Department at Ohio State University and has taught in China. He was the founder of the Orang Asli Fund and is a Trustee of the Fund for Urgent Anthropological Research.The Robert K Dentan (RKD) papers document an anthropologist's work with the Orang Asli peoples of Malaysia. The current archive holdings are a fraction of RKD's entire collection and at this date are comprised of his field notes, manuscripts, and catalogs along with published materials; some that are by other authors.The field records include an early manuscript on the Semai language titled Preliminary Field Notes on the Semai Language (series 1, folder 1), edited in 2003 and now available online (Series 2, digital file). Series 1 also includes several digital files containing compilations of field notes on different subjects (series 1, digital files).Medical Ideas and Practices Among the Jah Hut of Malaya, by Ivan Polunin, (series 2, folder 1) is based on Polunin's work in Malaysia in the late 1950's. Materia Medica of the Jah Hut by Robert K. Dentan.
I asked a couple of Malay staff wives to design a paper baju pattern for our sewing class. The Orang Asli women were then able to work through all the processes from chosing their material right through to wearing the baju. When they returned to their kampongs they were able to teach the others there.
Many Orang Asli womwn were first introduced to needles and threads at Gombak. While I was there a large consignment of sewing kits arrived from the USA, and so I decided to show the women how to sew and how to cut patterns to make bajus for themselves and their daughters. This project proved very popular.
Pandan grass is used for weaving purses and bags, where softness and flexibility is needed. Pandan can be dyed and so the Orang Asli can design and weave intricate patterns into their purses, etc.
A nyero is a flat basket used to sift and dry rice. The material used is rotan. It is pulled from the trees in the nearby jungle and then cut into strips for weaving.
Fish traps are made from bertam wood strips and placed in the River Gombak. The caught fish is then cooked and eaten by the patients and their families.
Families are encouraged to cook for their ill members in the designated cooking area. Daily rations are supplied but they often go to the nearby jungle and river to hunt and fish.
This Orang Asli man had been in hospital for a long time and was likely to remain so. He occupied his time weaving baskets from rotan that we collected from the nearby jungle. Also he was able to repair chair seats with strips of rotan. His baskets were usually made to order from requests from the local "ex-pat" community, Air Force personnel and other folk interested in the hospital. This provided him with some money to spend in the hospital kedai (shop).
Along fell from a tree while searching for food and sustained a serious injury resulting in permanent paralysis of his lower limbs. He became one of the hospital's longterm patients and eventually learned to use a wheelchair. When a telephone exchange was installed in the hospital Along and another paraplegic patient were taught to operate it. This gave then full time employment and a wage, and they became very important and valued members of the hospital community.
Apang contracted polio in her kampong and later brought to Gombak. As Occupational Therapist I was asked if I could do anything for her as she was very depressed. She was only interested in learning to walk again. This was considered to be unrealistic, but I tried to show her what her limitations were and that she would never walk again unaided. It was a hard lesson for a young girl to learn, especially as her family had originally abandoned her in the kampong when they discovered that she could not walk.
Young mother with her newborn child. Looking on are her husband and son who have accompanied her to hospital. More Orang Asli women give birth in hospital now and more girls are trained in midwifery and sent out to the Deep Jungle Medical Posts.
Female long stay tuberculosis patient. She was very good at making Orang Asli handicrafts which I arranged to be sold at Air Force bases. She spent some of her money on food to supplement her hospital diet and cloth for bajus and sarongs, etc.
It is necessary for some Orang Asli to be hospitalised for long term treatment. Some older men are on their own as their families decide to remain in their kampongs.
Following consultation between the Deep Jungle Medical Post and Gombak Hospital, the patient is transferred to hospital by helicopter. The family usually accompanies the patient.
Satah was one of the many deep jungle medical posts set up to deal with problems "on the spot" and to provide care and treatment for the local area. It was manned by trained Orang Asli Field Staff and was connected to Gombak Hospital by radio link. If a patient needed hospital attention he/she could be airlifted by helicopter to Gombak. This service was provided by UK, US, and Australian Air Forces.
Orang Asli stilted "rumah" not far from the Satah Medical Post. Wood is used to build the framework and then bamboo strips are used to make the walls. The roof is thatched with palm leaves such as bertam, and everything is secured with ropes made from rotan.
