Orang Asli village in Taman Negara, peninsular Malaysia
Long House, Sarawak, Borneo Malaysia
Here is a link to an article called "Ecotourism or Eco-Trespassing" that was originally published on the Wild Asia website. This link is not longer active so here is a copy of the article.
http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/RTI/Eco-Trespassing%3F
Ecotourism or Eco-Trespassing
Rick Gregory
Though they live in the remotest parts of the
jungle, the Orang Asli
are still not hidden far enough from tourists. Like
an elephant in a field
of oil palm seedlings, urban visitors trample on
settlements with reckless
abandon. And in both cases the intent is not meant
to harm, only to feed a
hunger.
Unlike their Bornean counterparts, such as the Iban
and Penan, the
Orang Asli tribes of Peninsular Malaysia are not as
well known or identified
by their cultural distinctions. Although strongly
tied with the jungle,
they are not seen so much as traditional people
rather than another type of
forest animal to gawk at. Good intentions,
materialized by tourists
bringing used clothes and candies, do not override
good manners. But the current practice
of a flotilla of orange-vested holiday
goers off-loaded on an Orang Asli settlement shore smacks
of an invasion, not a
cultural experience.
As part of an outing to the unspoiled surroundings
of Temenggor Lake in
Perak, Malaysia, thirty of us rode in three boats
for almost an hour
through forested hills and dozens of hilltop
islands, the land remnants left
after damming the Perak River two decades ago.
Along the way we passed by
slopes dotted with thatched roof huts and cassava
plants, the mark of
Indigenous communities now settled on the
embankments of the 15,000 hectares of
the
man-made reservoir. We finally rounded a small bay with pencil-like
stumps sticking above the waterline to reach
Kampung Tebang, a Jahai
community of less than 150 people.
Lead by our nature guide, Haji Silah, whose primary
instruction was "to
respect the culture," we gathered together to
await the headman to
officially greet us. From the moment I stepped off
the boat, I was
uncomfortable. The excitement and anticipation of
the tourists were not
reciprocated by the Jahai adults or children.
Instead, they stayed at a
distance squatting in the shade of their simple
homes. For us it was a
new experience with a new people; for the Orang
Asli it was routine.
Calvin, the 31 year-old headman dressed in a
tee-shirt and short pants,
fielded the barrage of questions thrown at him like
a diplomat: we use
the water from the lake; our staple food is
tapioca; health care and
schooling are provided by the government; and yes
we still use blowpipes to hunt
small mammals. His calm voice and polite manner
underscored his adeptness as a leader.
After the introduction the awkwardness kicked in as
we walked around
Giving sweets to shy kids and silent elders. The
Orang Asli took the
'goodies' with lagging arms and reticent faces. It
looked more like force feeding
than gift giving. One participant, a Malaysian
in her 60s, summed up the entire scene
later during a chat session: "I
took a spot where I could observe the Orang Asli. At first
I was ashamed. It
was like going to a zoo. But then I realized that the Orang Asli were also
watching us as much as we watched them."
Malaysia has a wonderful Open House tradition that
accompanies each
Ethnic or religious holiday. These cultural
exchanges that infuse each visit
To each others homes, whether Malays, Chinese,
Indians or others, keeps
The cultural flame burning and re-establishes
respect for all Malaysians.
In sharp contrast, the visit to the Jahai village
produced no exchange of
values, nor any respectful outcomes; it was an
invasion of privacy.
No one is really at fault. The treatment of the
Orang Asli community
is just not the same as with other Malaysians. They
are as remote from our
minds as they are physically distant in the jungle.
This circumstance leads to a rather unfortunate fact:
the Orang Asli are mostly
strangers, not neighbours, to Malaysians.
For Malaysia, it is time to rethink these
'ecotourism' visits to Orang
Asli villages. Indigenous forest dwellers already
face difficulties to
Provide for their families and retain customary
practices amid a settled
lifestyle. So it is unrealistic, if not
disrespectful, to swarm these small
communities with hoards of candy bag-toting
tourists expecting ritual dancing
and blowpipe demonstrations.
Tourists should meet the Orang Asli on their terms,
not on a whim.
Cultural survival first depends on improving
community conditions while
respecting traditions. Many of these tribes
struggle to maintain a balance in the non-forest world.
If ecotourism is to
survive, then tourists have to be prepared to sacrifice as well. Clothing and candies
are short-term remedies that satisfy the visitors more than the recipients.
Perhaps tourists should decide not to go visit the
Orang Asli. At
least not until we are invited, when we can join
them in celebration of their
culture, with dignity in full bloom. As opposed to
the parade of boats that
washes ashore with well-meaning visitors that hand
out gifts, snap photos and
leave without fully appreciating the goodness of
these hardy people or their
contributions to society.
Visit to village in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsEe0EqnY6g
Fiji, Village Visit
http://tv.kilroy.eu/video/814600/fiji-experience-visiting-a
Solomon Islands, Village Visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=phtg6eHehKw&NR=1
Solomon Island, Music and Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFbmwD9kaVU
