Lye Tuck-Po | Universiti Sains Malaysia (original) (raw)
Address: Anthropology & Sociology Section
School of Social Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 USM, Pulau Pinang
Malaysia
less
Uploads
Books by Lye Tuck-Po
Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation a... more Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia by Lye Tuck-Po (2004)
(the full text is now available on https://www.lyetuckpo.com)
Papers by Lye Tuck-Po
New Mandala, 2021
I explore and articulate certain conceptual and methodological problems in memory studies. My emp... more I explore and articulate certain conceptual and methodological problems in memory studies. My emphasis here is on remembering as a verb, rather than memory as a noun. I am not so concerned with “collective memory as a thing”, but on “distinct sets of mnemonic practices” (Olick and Robbins 1998, 112) and what these reveal of broader social process.
My concern today is with what, for lack of a better term, I’d call vernacular memory: memory “out of history” (Wolf 1982) as it were, and that often is disregarded and discarded, or wiped out through deliberate projects of consciousness-changing, e.g., in nation-building.
Reflecting on these issues, I’ve been encouraged to think more broadly about memory:
- how are memories made?
- What kinds of memories are ascendant or suppressed?
- What are the politics and cultures of remembering?
I will draw on fieldwork among Batek and Penan hunter-gatherers, with a glance towards Cambodia
A. Pastoors & T. Lenssen-Erz (Eds.), Reading prehistoric human tracks: methods and material. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021
Tropical hunting studies that focus on tracking—how signs are interpreted—are rarely done if at a... more Tropical hunting studies that focus on tracking—how signs are interpreted—are rarely done if at all. This paper provides a preliminary sketch of the tracking strategies and knowledge of Batek of Malaysia. Studies of hunter-gatherer tracking rely heavily on Liebenberg’s carefully observed documentation of San tracking, enriched by his own scientific expertise in faunal behavior. Of the three levels of tracking he mentions, simple tracking is unreliable for the Batek, simply because of the nature of tropical forests. The default mode is systematic tracking, carefully gathering information, and piecing together a multisensorial picture of where prey is to be found. Their visual, auditory, and olfactory acuity is exceptional, and so is their vocabulary for expressing these states. Tracking for Batek is not limited to the interpretation of tracks or, rather, the notion of tracks needs to be broadened, to include tracks that cannot be seen, but can be heard and smelt. Tracking is about multisensory engagement in the needs of the moment and deploying the skills to decide what is and is not relevant information. It is about performance.
The Batek are a foraging-trading people living in and around Peninsular Malaysia’s largest nation... more The Batek are a foraging-trading people living in and around Peninsular Malaysia’s largest national park, Taman Negara. In recent years some of their semi-permanent camps near the park headquarters at Kuala Tahan have become tourist attractions. Batek residents allow groups of Malaysian and foreign tourists to visit, and they demonstrate some of their specialised skills, including shooting blowpipes and making fire with rattan vines and dry wood, as well as selling handicrafts. In this article
we examine the reasons why some Batek participate in the tourist business, how they integrate it into their overall economy, and how they preserve their distinctive cultural values and practices while offering a simplified picture of their culture to curious
outsiders.
Keywords: Batek, Peninsular Malaysia, economy, tourism, cultural resilience
The so-called negritos adapt not just to a tropical forest environment but also to an environment... more The so-called negritos adapt not just to a tropical forest environment but also to an environment characterized by perturbations and fluctuations. As with other hunter-gatherers in the region and, indeed, throughout the world, they use both social and ecological methods to enhance their chances of survival in this changing environment: socially, they have developed networks of trading and marriage partners; ecologically, they maintain patches of key resources that are available for future harvesting. As evidenced in the case of the Batek (Orang Asli), patterns of forest structure and composition are sometimes direct outcomes of intentional resource concentration and enrichment strategies.
for most recent transcriptions. bab food or starchy food (generic). bah-at, to; preposition indic... more for most recent transcriptions. bab food or starchy food (generic). bah-at, to; preposition indicating directionality. Most commonly prefixed to locative nouns (bah-kəntəʔ [upriver]; bah-kiyɔm [below; downriver]; bah-kiriʔ [to the left]; bah-həp [to the forest]; bah-teʔ [groundward]). bakar (M. bakar) to burn (vegetation only). banar (M. bandar) town, city. Less commonly used than dəŋ. ʔɔraŋ banar or batɛk banar urban peoples. banyir (M. banjir) flood. baŋkol (M. gaharu or kayu wangi) eaglewood (Aquilaria spp.). baŋkoŋ (M. bangkong) wild jackfruit (Artocarpus integer var. silvestris Corner). baŋsaʔ (M. bangsa) race or ethnic group; type or group of similar objects. bat to land or perch on. batɛk people. batɛk həp people of the forest. batuʔ (M. batu) stone or rock. batuʔ cənɛl mythicized stone or rock: i.e.,
This essay reviews the history of Orang Asli studies, from colonial-era reports right up to the p... more This essay reviews the history of Orang Asli studies, from colonial-era reports right up to the present. It chronicles generational changes in personnel and quality of work, and highlights significant studies and researchers in the field. It is intended to stimulate renewed interest in the literature and provide a quick guide to the primary sources.
Kyoto Journal, 34–37, 2007
This paper argues that the landscape is an important source of knowledge and continuity.
. In Property and equality, vol. 2: Encapsulation, commercialisation, discrimination. T. Widlok and W. G. Tadesse, eds. Pp. 90–103. Oxford: Berghann., 2002
Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation a... more Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia by Lye Tuck-Po (2004)
(the full text is now available on https://www.lyetuckpo.com)
New Mandala, 2021
I explore and articulate certain conceptual and methodological problems in memory studies. My emp... more I explore and articulate certain conceptual and methodological problems in memory studies. My emphasis here is on remembering as a verb, rather than memory as a noun. I am not so concerned with “collective memory as a thing”, but on “distinct sets of mnemonic practices” (Olick and Robbins 1998, 112) and what these reveal of broader social process.
My concern today is with what, for lack of a better term, I’d call vernacular memory: memory “out of history” (Wolf 1982) as it were, and that often is disregarded and discarded, or wiped out through deliberate projects of consciousness-changing, e.g., in nation-building.
Reflecting on these issues, I’ve been encouraged to think more broadly about memory:
- how are memories made?
- What kinds of memories are ascendant or suppressed?
- What are the politics and cultures of remembering?
I will draw on fieldwork among Batek and Penan hunter-gatherers, with a glance towards Cambodia
A. Pastoors & T. Lenssen-Erz (Eds.), Reading prehistoric human tracks: methods and material. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021
Tropical hunting studies that focus on tracking—how signs are interpreted—are rarely done if at a... more Tropical hunting studies that focus on tracking—how signs are interpreted—are rarely done if at all. This paper provides a preliminary sketch of the tracking strategies and knowledge of Batek of Malaysia. Studies of hunter-gatherer tracking rely heavily on Liebenberg’s carefully observed documentation of San tracking, enriched by his own scientific expertise in faunal behavior. Of the three levels of tracking he mentions, simple tracking is unreliable for the Batek, simply because of the nature of tropical forests. The default mode is systematic tracking, carefully gathering information, and piecing together a multisensorial picture of where prey is to be found. Their visual, auditory, and olfactory acuity is exceptional, and so is their vocabulary for expressing these states. Tracking for Batek is not limited to the interpretation of tracks or, rather, the notion of tracks needs to be broadened, to include tracks that cannot be seen, but can be heard and smelt. Tracking is about multisensory engagement in the needs of the moment and deploying the skills to decide what is and is not relevant information. It is about performance.
The Batek are a foraging-trading people living in and around Peninsular Malaysia’s largest nation... more The Batek are a foraging-trading people living in and around Peninsular Malaysia’s largest national park, Taman Negara. In recent years some of their semi-permanent camps near the park headquarters at Kuala Tahan have become tourist attractions. Batek residents allow groups of Malaysian and foreign tourists to visit, and they demonstrate some of their specialised skills, including shooting blowpipes and making fire with rattan vines and dry wood, as well as selling handicrafts. In this article
we examine the reasons why some Batek participate in the tourist business, how they integrate it into their overall economy, and how they preserve their distinctive cultural values and practices while offering a simplified picture of their culture to curious
outsiders.
Keywords: Batek, Peninsular Malaysia, economy, tourism, cultural resilience
The so-called negritos adapt not just to a tropical forest environment but also to an environment... more The so-called negritos adapt not just to a tropical forest environment but also to an environment characterized by perturbations and fluctuations. As with other hunter-gatherers in the region and, indeed, throughout the world, they use both social and ecological methods to enhance their chances of survival in this changing environment: socially, they have developed networks of trading and marriage partners; ecologically, they maintain patches of key resources that are available for future harvesting. As evidenced in the case of the Batek (Orang Asli), patterns of forest structure and composition are sometimes direct outcomes of intentional resource concentration and enrichment strategies.
for most recent transcriptions. bab food or starchy food (generic). bah-at, to; preposition indic... more for most recent transcriptions. bab food or starchy food (generic). bah-at, to; preposition indicating directionality. Most commonly prefixed to locative nouns (bah-kəntəʔ [upriver]; bah-kiyɔm [below; downriver]; bah-kiriʔ [to the left]; bah-həp [to the forest]; bah-teʔ [groundward]). bakar (M. bakar) to burn (vegetation only). banar (M. bandar) town, city. Less commonly used than dəŋ. ʔɔraŋ banar or batɛk banar urban peoples. banyir (M. banjir) flood. baŋkol (M. gaharu or kayu wangi) eaglewood (Aquilaria spp.). baŋkoŋ (M. bangkong) wild jackfruit (Artocarpus integer var. silvestris Corner). baŋsaʔ (M. bangsa) race or ethnic group; type or group of similar objects. bat to land or perch on. batɛk people. batɛk həp people of the forest. batuʔ (M. batu) stone or rock. batuʔ cənɛl mythicized stone or rock: i.e.,
This essay reviews the history of Orang Asli studies, from colonial-era reports right up to the p... more This essay reviews the history of Orang Asli studies, from colonial-era reports right up to the present. It chronicles generational changes in personnel and quality of work, and highlights significant studies and researchers in the field. It is intended to stimulate renewed interest in the literature and provide a quick guide to the primary sources.
Kyoto Journal, 34–37, 2007
This paper argues that the landscape is an important source of knowledge and continuity.
. In Property and equality, vol. 2: Encapsulation, commercialisation, discrimination. T. Widlok and W. G. Tadesse, eds. Pp. 90–103. Oxford: Berghann., 2002
Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 2005
This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from t... more This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer.
This presentation examines interactions between gibbons and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia. Gibbon... more This presentation examines interactions between gibbons and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia. Gibbons (or small apes) are a primate species found mostly in Southeast Asia whose calls—their songs—have been described as “among the most spectacular calls of all mammals”. Like other primates in the country, they are classed as endangered, mostly due to habitat loss. Between them and the Batek is a relationship founded on distancing. That is, the Batek don’t go looking for gibbons to hunt. Nor do gibbons seek out humans. What links them are the songs of the gibbons, which are well-loved by the Batek. What does this relationship tell us about living with endangered species? In this presentation, I will describe the relationship and connect it to the Batek’s hunting-and-gathering way of life.
wildlife conservation; governance; implementation
L e c t u r e , t h e H u m b o l d t U n i v e r s i t y z u B e r l i n -U n i v e r s i t a s ... more L e c t u r e , t h e H u m b o l d t U n i v e r s i t y z u B e r l i n -U n i v e r s i t a s G a d j a h M a d a -U n i v e r s i t i S a i n s M a l a y s i a I n t e r n a t i o n a l S u m m e r S c h o o l i n S o u t h e a s t A s i a n S t u d i e s , " T h e R e t u r n o f t h e P a s t : M e m o r y -m a k i n g a n d H e r i t a g e i n S o u t h e a s t A s i a " , U S M , P e n a n g , 1
Boldface: slide change Preamble: previously, fieldwork and then fieldnotes, now visual ethnograph... more Boldface: slide change Preamble: previously, fieldwork and then fieldnotes, now visual ethnography. Concern with practical issues to get ready for weekend of fieldwork. We will discuss the more conceptual & theoretical issues after the mid-semester break.