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The Headman Was a Woman
A comprehensive ethnography of one of the few remaining hunting and gathering peoples of Southeast Asia, The Headman Was a Woman presents the gender concepts, roles, and relations of the highly egalitarian Batek of Peninsular Malaysia. Based on longtime fieldwork, the book describes the lives of Batek men and women in the tropical rainforest, and includes discussions of fieldwork, hunting and gathering, social organization, religion, gender, nonviolence, and cultural persistence in the face of a changing landscape. Rich in detail yet clearly written, The Headman Was a Woman introduces readers from first-year anthropology students to hunter-gatherer specialists to an egalitarian people whose way of life is both thought-provoking and rare. The text is accompanied by a 37-minute DVD, The Rainforest Foragers of Kelantan, Malaysia. Footage shows vivid highlights of camp life and social activities as well as all the important economic processes described in the book. Coverage aligns with topics featured in introductory texts, making this accessible yet authoritatively written ethnography an optimal supplement for classroom use. Titles of related interest also from Waveland Mascia-Lees-Black, Gender and Anthropology, 2E (ISBN 9781478634164); Raybeck, Mad Dogs, Englishmen, and the Errant Fieldwork in Malaysia (ISBN 9780881339062); and Townsend, Environmental From Pigs to Policies, Second Edition (ISBN 9781577665816).
163 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2015
The Batek were a small tribe of nomadic hunter-gatherers, numbering about 800 at the time of the study, in the 1970's. They were divided in groups of 20 to 40 individuals that moved camp and changed its composition almost every week. As the title suggests, this book is about a gender (and socially) egalitarian tribe and their way of life. It portrays their view on the sexes, their social life, infancy and adulthood and their beliefs in non-aggressiveness. The book is not dull at all, it gives you a vivid insight of this unique culture, reporting almost every aspect of their everyday life back then.
According to the authors, the reasons for Batek gender egalitarianism were the dispersion of authority ('headmen' were just notable people who stood out from the rest of the group for their intellectual abilities and lacked real power as they only could try to persuade people, not command them), their beliefs in non-aggressiveness and the economic security of women (they were responsible for providing most of the food that reached camp, gathering).
It also discusses their history (specially the Malay raids for slaves during the 19th century and the beggining of the 20th century) and denounces the repeated attempts made by the Malay government to settle them. Kirk and Karen Endicott visited the Batek again in 1990 and as recently as 2004. They noticed with surprise that the majority of them still refused to settle down and that when government officials put them in a village they simply abandoned it after the first crops. The Batek have now adopted some agricultural techniques but, nevertheless, their beliefs about gender egalitarianism and non-aggressiveness remain unchanged despite the pressures of the modern world.
The main aspect of this culture which I found the most striking was that children did not participate in competitive games, only in cooperative ones. Sometimes they pretended to be animals of the forest, others they just jumped from tree to tree but there were no winners or losers.
To sum up, this is a fantastic book about a fascinating people that struggles to maintain their way of life and non-violent beliefs in the face of constant government pressure for them to adopt Islam and Malay customs. So far, they have succeeded.
According to the authors, the reasons for Batek gender egalitarianism were the dispersion of authority ('headmen' were just notable people who stood out from the rest of the group for their intellectual abilities and lacked real power as they only could try to persuade people, not command them), their beliefs in non-aggressiveness and the economic security of women (they were responsible for providing most of the food that reached camp, gathering).
It also discusses their history (specially the Malay raids for slaves during the 19th century and the beggining of the 20th century) and denounces the repeated attempts made by the Malay government to settle them. Kirk and Karen Endicott visited the Batek again in 1990 and as recently as 2004. They noticed with surprise that the majority of them still refused to settle down and that when government officials put them in a village they simply abandoned it after the first crops. The Batek have now adopted some agricultural techniques but, nevertheless, their beliefs about gender egalitarianism and non-aggressiveness remain unchanged despite the pressures of the modern world.
The main aspect of this culture which I found the most striking was that children did not participate in competitive games, only in cooperative ones. Sometimes they pretended to be animals of the forest, others they just jumped from tree to tree but there were no winners or losers.
To sum up, this is a fantastic book about a fascinating people that struggles to maintain their way of life and non-violent beliefs in the face of constant government pressure for them to adopt Islam and Malay customs. So far, they have succeeded.
March 20, 2015
In terms of ethnographies, this cooperative effort between spouses Kirk and Leslie Endicott is just excellent. The organization is clear, the research is astutely done, and well-explained.
As far as content, the Batek provide a fascinating look into a very nearly Utopian culture. Now, before I am accused of exoticizing, let me note that their life expectancy and infant mortality remains incredibly high, so I will not be running away to join this tribe. However in terms of tribal relations, family relations, even foreign relations, they have basically eliminated the concept of competition. In no way is any human or any human's activity valued more than any other. This might be, in fact, the society that Marx envisioned. Even the position mentioned in the title, held by Tanyogn, who is a matriarch of sorts, is not one of real power and is most certainly not absolutist. This society is very worthy of study. It is also worth discussing what must be sacrificed in order to achieve this kind of peaceful, egalitarian existence. Perhaps the very nature of being a post-industrial society prevents that. Perhaps we could only do so with an absence of history, an absence of ambitions. In any case, it's ripe for discussion and further thought. It kept my class talking so long I just had to end the session because we were out of time.
Used for Anthropology 130: World Cultures at JCCC.
As far as content, the Batek provide a fascinating look into a very nearly Utopian culture. Now, before I am accused of exoticizing, let me note that their life expectancy and infant mortality remains incredibly high, so I will not be running away to join this tribe. However in terms of tribal relations, family relations, even foreign relations, they have basically eliminated the concept of competition. In no way is any human or any human's activity valued more than any other. This might be, in fact, the society that Marx envisioned. Even the position mentioned in the title, held by Tanyogn, who is a matriarch of sorts, is not one of real power and is most certainly not absolutist. This society is very worthy of study. It is also worth discussing what must be sacrificed in order to achieve this kind of peaceful, egalitarian existence. Perhaps the very nature of being a post-industrial society prevents that. Perhaps we could only do so with an absence of history, an absence of ambitions. In any case, it's ripe for discussion and further thought. It kept my class talking so long I just had to end the session because we were out of time.
Used for Anthropology 130: World Cultures at JCCC.
December 6, 2012
Well reading this was rather enjoyable - it is a thorough ethnography, although I have to admit it is the only one I have read...
Nonetheless, I was taken with the Batek way of life. Ready to pack my bags and hop on the next bus to Malaysia. The writing is not so academic as to make it boring or incomprehensible, it is fairly casual but still informative.
My only issue with this little book is that I have been told by my anthropology (this is my first year recommended reading) lecturer that it is, in part, false. Elements of the the Batek egalitarian lifestyle have been exaggerated or simply glazed over - the role of women in their creation stories and gender division in myth for example. Whether this occurred through idealism or as a means to gain publicity, I do not know. Or perhaps other anthropologists are just too damn cynical?
All the same, it was an interesting read and oh yes, my granny is getting it for Christmas.
Nonetheless, I was taken with the Batek way of life. Ready to pack my bags and hop on the next bus to Malaysia. The writing is not so academic as to make it boring or incomprehensible, it is fairly casual but still informative.
My only issue with this little book is that I have been told by my anthropology (this is my first year recommended reading) lecturer that it is, in part, false. Elements of the the Batek egalitarian lifestyle have been exaggerated or simply glazed over - the role of women in their creation stories and gender division in myth for example. Whether this occurred through idealism or as a means to gain publicity, I do not know. Or perhaps other anthropologists are just too damn cynical?
All the same, it was an interesting read and oh yes, my granny is getting it for Christmas.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews