A Brief Study of the Semai of Malaysia

In the central mountainous region on the Malay Province in Southeast Asia’s Malaysia there can be found a peaceful people known as the Semai. They are a gift bearing horticultural society in which traditionally the men hunt and the women farm. The Semai see each other as equals in this bilateral society in which teknonyms are often taken. Well known throughout the world for their peaceful ways, the Semai are adapting to the changing times. The Semai are primarily a horticultural society, which means that their primary source of sustenance is plants grown on a smaller scale. “Horticulturalists may still collect wild foods and hunt even as they cultivate, but by and large their sustenance depends on domesticated plants.” (Nowak & Laird, 2010) They follow traditional gender roles. Women typically did the growing with some help from the men, while men did the hunting and some of the gathering. Women were also responsible for child rearing which made working a plot of land easy to do at the same time. Hunting involved a lot of moving over different areas and a certain amount of danger making it difficult to do while caring for children. “The hunting or scavenging of wild animals, usually by men, and the gathering of plants and nuts, chiefly by women, were the predominant economic activities for many millennia, and these activities still supply the livelihood for…the Semai of Malaysia” (Lockard 2009) Mountain rice and manioc are the staple foods grown in by the Semai. Being full is the point of eating to them, so dishes with a heavy starch base are very important. Rice is so important to them that they celebrate a festival known as Genggulang. This festival is to show respect for the rice spirit and to ensure a good harvest. Maize and mullet are also commonly grown. Vegetables are frequently available in this region since they do not have the four seasons we are used to although they may be slightly scarcer during the rainy season. For the same reason fruit is