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The Headman Was a Woman

The Gender Egalitarian Batek of Malaysia

Kirk M. Endicott and Karen L. Endicott

A comprehensive ethnography of one of the few remaining hunting and gathering peoples of Southeast Asia, The Headman Was a Woman presents the gender concepts, roles, and relations of the highly egalitarian Batek of Peninsular Malaysia. Based on longtime fieldwork, the book describes the lives of Batek men and women in the tropical rainforest, and includes discussions of fieldwork, hunting and gathering, social organization, religion, gender, nonviolence, and cultural persistence in the face of a changing landscape. Rich in detail yet clearly written, The Headman Was a Woman introduces readers—from first-year anthropology students to hunter-gatherer specialists—to an egalitarian people whose way of life is both thought-provoking and rare.

The text is accompanied by a 37-minute DVD, The Batek: Rainforest Foragers of Kelantan, Malaysia. Footage shows vivid highlights of camp life and social activities as well as all the important economic processes described in the book.

 Coverage aligns with topics featured in introductory texts, making this accessible yet authoritatively written ethnography an optimal supplement for classroom use.

$17.95 list, 163  pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-526-0

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-526-7

© 2008

Table of Contents

1. Encountering the Unexpected

Going to the Batek / Some Surprises / The Idea of Gender Egalitarian Societies / The Batek / The Batek Environment / Earlier Reports on the Batek / Our Fieldwork

2. Batek Views of the Sexes

Gender in Social Classifications / Gender in Origin Stories / Physiology of Gender / Expressions of Gender in Clothing and Body Decoration / Gender in Religion

3. Social Life

The Camp: The Center of Social Life / Ethical Principles of Social Life / Groups / Marriage and Divorce / Platonic Male–Female Interactions / Political System

4. Sharing the Work: The Gender Division of Labor

An Overview of the Batek Economy / Getting Food / Men's and Women's Contributions to the Food Supply / Chores and Crafts / Explaining the Division of Labor

5. Growing Up Batek

Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth / Childhood / Adolescence / Parenting / Instilling Batek Values

6. Continuity and Change in Batek Gender

1990: New Conditions, New Responses / Gender Concepts, Roles, and Relations in 1990

7. Understanding Batek Egalitarianism

The Bases of Batek Gender Egalitarianism / Is Batek Culture a Result of Encapsulation?

Appendix: Batek Kinship Terms