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Another significant leisure activity of Bateq women was the collection of inseason flowers, leaves or vines to be used as head, neck or wrist ornaments and
accessories. This was related to the uniqueness of the Bateq sub-tribe in practising
their “grooming”, and it was not only restricted to women. Among the plants commonly used for grooming were tenlang (Fabaceae), akar kait, bunga wak and gapis
(Saraca cauliflora) (Table 1) (Fig. 7).
An example of ecological knowledge was reflected in how these two tribes
sourced drinking water in the jungle (Fig. 8). Clean drinking water could be obtained
by tapping the akar derian trees and extracting it into bamboo containers. The
indigenous communities of Malaysia were recognised for their broad traditional
knowledge in forest resources and survival skills (Kardooni et al. 2014), and these
Fig. 6 The harvesting plant tubers by Bateq women in Kuala Koh, Kelantan. Ubi woh (top row),
ubi cengel (middle row) and ubi takop (bottom row)
Sustainable Utilisation of Forest Plant Resources by the Bateq and Semoq Beri…