forests
The Batek Flee the Pandemic
Last year, the Batek village of Kuala Koh became infected with a mysterious illness that ultimately killed 15 villagers and hospitalized over 100 others. The mystery illness turned out to be measles. Over a year after the height of that epidemic, the question for today is how are the people of the village reacting to […]
Paliyan Blog Posts
Two posts were published last week on a blog from India that focuses on news about the Adivasi, the traditional tribal societies. Both were written by S. Ramarajan, who was the founder of the blog and is a member of the Paliyan society, the subject of both stories last week. The first post, “The Story […]
Kadar Knowledge of Forest Life
The Kadar people of the Anamalai Hills in southern India exhibit a profound knowledge and appreciation for nature, which they share with travelers who take forest walks with them. In an opinion piece published in the New Indian Express newspaper on April 2, travel writer and tour leader Pravin Shanmughanandam explains why he is so […]
Kadar Protect Hornbills and the Forests They Share
Despite threats to their communities, the peaceful Kadar and four species of large birds, all hornbills, are beginning to thrive in southern Kerala where they live together in the forests. While numerous news reports over the years have chronicled the Kadar love for their natural environment, the critical development in recent years has been their […]
Kadar Prevented from Living in the Forest
When 23 Kadar families had to flee their community in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, located in India’s Tamil Nadu state back in August, they told everyone who would listen that they desperately wanted to remain in the forest. During the night of August 11, the 90 or so members of the Kallar Kadar settlement had […]
Review of the Batek Tragedy
The Guardian sent reporter Hannah Ellis-Petersen to Kuala Koh to investigate the tragedy that nearly destroyed the Batek village. Was it just an outbreak of measles that took down so many people starting about four months ago? Are the government analyses that it was just an outbreak of measles accurate or are officials covering up […]
Kadar Love Forest Life
A remote community of 23 Kadar families has been forced to abandon their traditional huts due to a landslide on August 11, but they are determined to remain in the forest anyway. On the other hand, the Forest Department does not want them to rebuild anywhere else in the mountains that they have lived in […]
Teaching Traditional Semai Skills
Raman Bah Tuin, a 48-year-old Semai man, moved out of the Malaysian forest and founded the Jungle School in order to teach traditional Orang Asli skills to young people and curious tourists. A report in the news website Free Malaysia Today on August 10 provided a glimpse into the work of the school, located in […]
Batek Illness Becomes Deadly
Back in early April, reports came out about a mysterious illness that was afflicting the Batek of Kuala Koh: some young people were becoming sick and having breathing problems. The state health authorities in Kelantan attempted to provide cover for themselves by blaming the Batek for not being willing to take transportation to clinics to […]
Mbuti Struggle and Survive
According to the closing credits of a six-minute video posted to YouTube last week, the marvelous footage of an Mbuti community suffering from discrimination in the Eastern Congo was prepared by the Survival Media Agency. The beauty of the scenery—and of the Mbuti people themselves—recommends the production but it is worth summarizing its factual points […]
