If fruit or honey trees are too big around at the base to climb, people sometimes make rope ladders of heavy-gauge rattan stretching between a smaller, climbable tree and the upper branches of the target tree. They throw weighted fishing lines across a fork in the target tree and then pull the rattan across, tying both ends securely to the smaller tree. Here some men have made a rope ladder to the upper part of a tree that produces large pods of edible seeds, like giant beans (Parkia speciosa). Two men can be seen climbing the rope ladder (center right) by grasping the two ropes with their hands and between their toes.
These men are holding the still-green seed pods from a Parkia tree. Batek eat the seeds as vegetables or condiments or trade them to Malays, who regard them highly as flavoring in various dishes.
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.
A Malaysian man carries a metal kavadi during the Hindu Festival of Thaipusam. The people carrying the kavadi do so to show their devotion and offer thanks to God during their pilgrimage to the Hindu Temple.
Batek living on the upper Lebir River in 2004 still hunt with blowpipes and poisoned darts. Here a man rubs resin on the shafts of some darts to increase their weight and therefore their stability in flight and penetrating power.
Women still use charcoal, lime paste, and colorful flowers, leaves, and stems to decorate themselves, even though they now wear manufactured clothing and trinkets.
Batek still visit other groups frequently, but now some people use motorbikes instead of walking or rafting. A few have become skilled mechanics, though without formal training. This man is fixing the back wheel of his motorbike, while his wife looks on.
A large group of Malaysian people walks through the entrance of the Thaipusam parade. Most of the participants are wearing white and some are playing instruments, holding torches, or riding on a parade float.
