Portraits Of Batek, Semaq Tribes "Flown" To Tokyo
By Mohd Afiq Zulkifli
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) -- Portraits of the Orang Asli (indigenous people) from the Batek and Semaq Beri tribes who live in the interior of Malaysia’s states of Kelantan and Terengganu were 'flown' to Tokyo, Japan, recently to show the uniqueness of the country’s original inhabitants to the people in the Land of the Rising Sun.
They were exhibited at a photography exhibition titled 'Hunter-Gatherers of the Malaysian Rainforest; Batek and Semaq Beri' organised by the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and TUFS Field Science Commons at two galleries, in January and February respectively.
A total of 36 photographs showcasing the lives of the Orang Asli from the Batek and Semaq Beri tribes such as their food, medicine, shelter and jewellery as well as traditional musical instruments like gingong, bamboo combs and “mengkuang” bags are exhibited.
All the pictures are taken by a professional photographer and independent researcher, Suzairi Zakaria, better known as Dome Nikong.
Dome, from Setiu, Terengganu, has been documenting the life of the Orang Asli of the Batek tribe in Kampung Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, Kelantan and Semaq Beri in Lake Kenyir for the past 15 years, in addition to being actively involved in wild forest conservation efforts.
According to Dome, the photography exhibition started at the invitation of a Japanese anthropologist, Dr Aya Kawai, who had visited the Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Kuala Koh several times for his research.
"She (Aya) knows that I am doing documentation work on the Batek and Semaq Beri tribes. So he expressed interest in exhibiting the photos I took to show the Japanese community there.
"I am also excited to share this 'rare' photo with the outside world, not to mention that this is the first time my work has been showcased at an international level, it may not be of much interest here, but it has attracted the interest of those far away ( Japan)," he told Bernama recently.
Dome said the exhibition was planned since August last year through a series of discussions via video conferencing with Aya and the gallery in Tokyo.
He said during the exhibition held last January, he was given the opportunity to engage with the visitors about the Batek and Semaq Beri Orang Asli tribes, enabling him to share his experience in documenting the lives of the community of the two tribes.
“In my private collection, there are more than 20,000 pieces of Orang Asli photos. For this exhibition, I shortlisted 60 pictures, 30 of the Batek Orang Asli and 30 of Semaq Beri... the final ones were chosen by Aya and the gallery.
"I gave the pictures in the form of soft copies, and then preparations including printing and layout were made by the organisers,” he said, adding that the photographs were framed in various sizes, namely A3 (329 millimetres (mm)×483 mm), A1 (594 mm x 841 mm) and B1 (1030 mm×1456 mm) sizes.
“The pictures showcase their way of life in the forest," he said and hoped that a similar exhibition could also be held here to highlight the uniqueness of the indigenous community to the public.
Meanwhile, Aya said she started her preliminary research about the Orang Asli in Malaysia in 2009, and started living with the Batek people in Kuala Koh the following year to continue studying them.
“The main purpose of this project is to inform the Japanese people about the daily lives of the local people that I have been researching in Malaysia.
“I wanted them to know about the daily lives of the people in the forests, where they collect fruits and resources, move from one place to another, and, at the same time, earn income and use smartphones.
“Photography is an attractive medium for the public, and fortunately I knew Dome, whose photos are very beautiful. At the exhibition, I placed QR codes next to the photos so that people could access the online resources and learn about the people in more detail,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
