Page 372 - Proceedings Collega2023

According to Endicott (1979), the physical characteristics of the Batek tribe are the same as the
Negrito people from the Andaman Islands, the Philippines and Southern Thailand. Endicott also described
them as small but tall, with fine curly hair, dark skin but not black, broad round faces, flat noses and short
chins. He also explained that the Batek people are assumed to be remnants of the Paleolithic (Old Stone
Age) migration that passed through the peninsula towards the Pacific Islands. The language of the Bateq
tribe is Austroasiatic which is different from the Malay and Austronesian languages. They are classified as
speakers of the Mon-Khmer language group but have now adopted a lot of Malay vocabulary.
Endicott (1979) divided the Batek tribe into several groups as follows; (i) Batek De' in Hulu Kelantan
who live in the area mentioned earlier, (ii) Batek Iga in Sungai Tahan and Sungai Kechau, (iii) Batek Nong
in Sungai Cheka Jerantut Pahang. (iv) Batek Teh is found in Pos Lebir and Sungai Aring, Kelantan. (v) Batek
Te' in Sungai Berua, Hulu Besut, Terengganu. This division is based on; (a) the difference between dialects
and the spoken language in which a dialect becomes their identity. (b) their particular settlement area
even though there is no clear boundary between one group and another (Ramle Abdullah and Suda
Kazuhiro, 2008).
Most of the Batek tribe still adhere to the customs and beliefs of their ancestors even though their
way of life is not in line with the development and development of the country, they not only adhere
strongly to traditional practices, but some of their customs and beliefs are very unique (Roslan Saadon,
2008). This has a connection with all their life activities that cannot be separated from the atmosphere of
nature. The forest and the traditional life of the Batek people seem to have come together, without the
forest there would be no Batek people and without the Batek people the forest might have been destroyed
(Hanapi Dollah and colleagues, 2008). Endicott (1979) explained; that Batek people feel like they are at
home in the forest. The life that has a close relationship with nature affects all aspects of their lives
including the aspects of housing and settlements built by the Batek people.
2. Baseline Research
Seen from the point of view of customs and culture, the Orang Asli Batek have various customs

and cultures that are very interesting to study, among which are traditional knowledge and practices in
the context of residential architecture. This aspect of culture is practised by a large number of indigenous
peoples around the world. It describes the identity and identity of a society. What is built and produced in
the form of physical structures such as houses, buildings and places of worship is a manifestation of the
thoughts of members a group. The result of this manifestation of thought is the formation of various forms
of architecture that have their meanings and meanings.
This also applies to the Batek tribe, the house is not just a place to live, but also an element that
has a connection with aspects of beliefs and customs that are practised. He explained that the Batek
traditional house also symbolizes Batek's identity. From the selection of the house site, until the house is
ready to be built and lived in, it manifests a lot of implied meaning, especially from the philosophical
aspects, symbols and values related to its construction. The concept and structure of the building are
generally based on their belief structure and worldview as a whole, each aspect of the building has its
structure of meaning in the context of the values that are practised (Ramle Abdullah, 2009). The house is
also one of the aspects of the material culture of the Batek people.

Therefore, the architectural aspects are very valuable and high-value heritage assets. Any effort to
maintain it needs to be made either among the Batek tribe itself or those who love this traditional heritage.

International Conference on Local Wisdom of the Malay Archipelago (COLLEGA 2023) Page - 359 -