Lye Tuck-Po

Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Social Sciences, Faculty Member

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Address: Anthropology & Sociology Section
School of Social Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 USM, Pulau Pinang
Malaysia

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Books by Lye Tuck-Po

Why can't we take more / Mengapa kita tak boleh berlebihan?

Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation a... more

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Changing pathways: Forest degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

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Changing pathways: Forest degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

The social ecology of tropical forests: Migration, populations, and frontiers (2005). de Jong, Wil, Tuck-Po Lye, and Ken-ichi Abe, eds. Kyoto: Kyoto University Press.

by Lye Tuck-Po and Wil de Jong

The political ecology of tropical forests in Southeast Asia: Historical perspectives (2003). Lye Tuck-Po, Wil de Jong, and Ken-ichi Abe, eds. Kyoto: Kyoto Area Studies on Asia, Kyoto University Press and Melbourne: TransPacific Press.

Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia: A comprehensive and annotated bibliography (2001). CSEAS Research Report Series no. 88. Kyoto: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.

(the full text is now available on https://www.lyetuckpo.com)

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Papers by Lye Tuck-Po

Lye Tuck-Po. 2022. Images of Self and Other in an Ethnohistory of the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia. In Borneo at Heart. Tribute to Bernard Sellato, the Argonaut of the Tropical Forest, edited by Pierre Le Roux, Sander Adelaar and Bernard Moizo. France: Le Murmure.

Lye Tuck Po. 2023. Mentor, friend, companion, and so much else. In: Scholar activist Khoo Khay Jin: reflections on Sarawak Malaysia and globalization, ed. Francis Loh Kok Wah. Kuala Lumpur: SIRD and Penang: Aliran

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Lye Tuck-Po. 2005. Review of: Thomas N. Headland and Doris L. Blood, eds., What Place for Hunter-Gatherers in Millennium Three? Asian Anthropology 4:152–155

Other ways of remembering (https://www.newmandala.org/other-ways-of-remembering/)

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

Tracking with Batek hunter-gatherers of Malaysia

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.

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Endicott, Kirk, Lye Tuck-Po, Nurul Fatanah Zahari, Alice Rudge. 2016. Batek playing Batek for tourists at Peninsular Malaysia's national park. Hunter Gatherer Research 2 (1):95–118.

by Alice Rudge, Lye Tuck-Po, and Nurul Fatanah

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

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Signaling presence: How Batek and Penan hunter-gatherers in Malaysia mark the landscape (2016). In: Marking the land: Hunter-gatherer creation of meaning in their environment. W. Lovis and R. Whallon, eds. Pp. 231–260. Oxford: Routledge

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Making Friends in the Rainforest: "Negrito" Adaptation to Risk and Uncertainty

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.

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Batek lexicon: Glossary extracted from Changing pathways: Forest degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia (2004). Archived at RWAAI, the Repository and Workspace for Austroasiatic Intangible Heritage, Lund University (Lye Collection)

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.,

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The wild and the tame in protected areas management, Peninsular Malaysia. In Complicating conservation in Southeast Asia: Beyond the sacred forest. M. R. Dove, P. S. Sajise and A. A. Doolittle, eds. Pp. 37–61. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

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A history of Orang Asli studies: Landmarks and generations

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.

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The ingenuity of local culture: Photos from the Cambodian countryside

Kyoto Journal, 34–37, 2007

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The significance of forest to the emergence of Batek knowledge in Pahang, Malaysia

This paper argues that the landscape is an important source of knowledge and continuity.

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The road to equality? Landscape transformation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

. In Property and equality, vol. 2: Encapsulation, commercialisation, discrimination. T. Widlok and W. G. Tadesse, eds. Pp. 90–103. Oxford: Berghann., 2002

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Why can't we take more / Mengapa kita tak boleh berlebihan?

Book for children based on the environmental messages in: Changing Pathways: Forest Degradation a... more

Download

Changing pathways: Forest degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

Download

Changing pathways: Forest degradation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

The social ecology of tropical forests: Migration, populations, and frontiers (2005). de Jong, Wil, Tuck-Po Lye, and Ken-ichi Abe, eds. Kyoto: Kyoto University Press.

by Lye Tuck-Po and Wil de Jong

Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia: A comprehensive and annotated bibliography (2001). CSEAS Research Report Series no. 88. Kyoto: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.

(the full text is now available on https://www.lyetuckpo.com)

Download

Lye Tuck-Po. 2005. Review of: Thomas N. Headland and Doris L. Blood, eds., What Place for Hunter-Gatherers in Millennium Three? Asian Anthropology 4:152–155

Other ways of remembering (https://www.newmandala.org/other-ways-of-remembering/)

New Mandala, 2021

Tracking with Batek hunter-gatherers of Malaysia

A. Pastoors & T. Lenssen-Erz (Eds.), Reading prehistoric human tracks: methods and material. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021

Download

Endicott, Kirk, Lye Tuck-Po, Nurul Fatanah Zahari, Alice Rudge. 2016. Batek playing Batek for tourists at Peninsular Malaysia's national park. Hunter Gatherer Research 2 (1):95–118.

by Alice Rudge, Lye Tuck-Po, and Nurul Fatanah

Download

Making Friends in the Rainforest: "Negrito" Adaptation to Risk and Uncertainty

Download

A history of Orang Asli studies: Landmarks and generations

Download

The ingenuity of local culture: Photos from the Cambodian countryside

Kyoto Journal, 34–37, 2007

Download

The significance of forest to the emergence of Batek knowledge in Pahang, Malaysia

This paper argues that the landscape is an important source of knowledge and continuity.

Download

The road to equality? Landscape transformation and the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

. In Property and equality, vol. 2: Encapsulation, commercialisation, discrimination. T. Widlok and W. G. Tadesse, eds. Pp. 90–103. Oxford: Berghann., 2002

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Forest peoples, conservation boundaries, and the problem of 'modernity' in Malaysia. In Tribal communities in the Malay world: Historical, cultural and social perspectives. G. Benjamin and C. Chou, eds. Pp. 160–184. Leiden: IIAS and Singapore: ISEAS.

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Uneasy bedfellows? Contrasting models of biodiversity maintenance in Malaysia. In Conserving nature in culture: Case studies from Southeast Asia (2005). M. R. Dove, P. S. Sajise and A. Doolittle, eds. Pp. 83–116. New Haven: Yale Southeast Asia Council Press.

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The Meanings of Trees: Forest and Identity for the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia

Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 2005

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Before a step too far: Walking with Batek hunter-gatherers in the forests of Pahang, Malaysia

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Being forest peoples: Globalizing local sustainability. 2008. Moussons: Social Science Research on Southeast Asia 12:35–48.

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Migration and the social ecology of tropical forests. In The social ecology of tropical forests: Migrations, populations, frontiers. W. De Jong, T.-P. Lye and K.-i. Abe. Pp. 1-24. Kyoto: Kyoto University Press, 2005.

by Lye Tuck-Po and Wil de Jong

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Lye, Tuck-Po. 1997. Knowledge, forest, and hunter-gatherer movement: the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Honolulu.

This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from t... more

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Exploring distances between gibbons and Batek hunter-gatherers in Malaysia. Virtually presented at Wofford College Anthropology and Asian Studies Colloquium, Spartanburg, SC, USA, 30 April 2024

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.

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Protecting animals, managing people: Resource thinking in Malaysia. Lecture presented at the 40th Southeast Asia Seminar, “The Promise and Challenge of Democracy in 21st Century Southeast Asia,” Yangon, Myanmar, 19-22 November 2016

wildlife conservation; governance; implementation

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Notes on religion & sustainability. Presentation at the Regional Interdisciplinary Workshop on Ecological Sustainability, Culture and Religion in Southeast Asia, 14-16 October 2016, KL

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Other ways of remembering. Lecture presented at the Humboldt University zu Berlin-Universitas Gadjah Mada-Universiti Sains Malaysia International Summer School in Southeast Asian Studies, "The Return of the Past: Memory-making and Heritage in Southeast Asia", USM, Penang, 11/3/15

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

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