page_title: Semang
section_title: Basic livelihood
hierarchical_section_title: Semang / Basic livelihood
caption_attribution_description: English: Semang shoots an arrow from his double blast pipe. The bamboo quiver at his side contains the strongly poisoned arrows. (South of the peninsula Siam)
context_page_description: The Semang are a Negrito ethnic group of the Malay Peninsula. They are found in Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Kedah of Malaysia.
  They have been recorded to have lived in the Malay Peninsula since before the 3rd century. They are ethnologically described as nomadic hunter-gatherers. See also Bajaus and Aetas.
  The Semang are grouped together with other Orang Asli tribes. Historically they preferred to trade with the local populations, but at other times they were subjected to exploitation, raids and slavery by Malays or forced to pay tribute. For more than one thousand years, some of the Negritos from the southern forests were enslaved and exploited until modern times, whilst others remain in isolation.
context_section_description: The main livelihood of the Semang has traditionally been gathering, hunting and fishing in a wandering lifestyle. They should add barter trade. Only in the 20th century some groups, the Lanoh people and Batek people in particular, began to practice Slash-and-burn farming.
  For daily consumption, the roots and fruits of wild plants are collected in the jungle. The basis of gathering is wild yams (Dioscorea), of which at least twelve species can be found in relative abundance throughout the year. Other wild foods include bamboo shoots, nuts, seasonal fruits, mushrooms and honey. Apart from this list, there is also a range of medicinal herbs.
  Different jungle produce are used by the Semang for various economic purposes. Bamboo is used for housing construction, it is used for the production of blowguns, darts, fish traps, kitchen utensils, water containers, combs, mats, rafts and ritual items. From the wood, they produce handles and sheaths for knives, and cutting boards for slicing meat. Pandan is used to make mats and baskets, tree barks for baskets and also clothing, and rattan for rope, baskets, ladders and belts.
  The Semang spend a lot of time and effort on harvesting jungle produce intended for sale or for exchange with neighbouring Malay villages. These includes wild fruits, as well as rattan, rubber, wax, honey, and herbs. The most popular fruits are petai (Parkia speciosa), kerdas (Archidendron bubalinum), keranji (Dialium indum), jering (Archidendron pauciflorum) and durian (Durio pinangianus). Petai and durian are collected from August to November, kerdas during February to May, and keranji from October to January. Money that the Semang receive from the sale of these goods are then used to buy rice, oil, tobacco, salt, sugar and other food products, as well as clothing, fabrics, knives and other provisions.
  Hunting is done with spears, rifles, slings, but the main weapon is blowgun that is used to hunt small game (squirrels, monkeys, bats and birds). Hunting with bronze guns using poison dart supplies provides most of the meat that these people eat. Guns and spears are used to hunt large animals such as wild pigs, goats, deer and tapirs. Occasionally hunting traps are set. Slingshots of wood and rubber are used mainly by young men to capture birds, bats and other tree dwelling animals. Some of the Semang in the past used bows and arrows, arranging a collective hunting group, but this practice disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century.
  Fish in the rivers are caught using special traps made of bamboo, spears, hooks and fishing rod.
  The produce obtained are shared with everyone in the camp.
  Most of the Semang groups from time to time have long been growing a certain number of cultivated plants (Upland rice, caviar, corn, sweet potatoes, vegetables). Primitive manual farming was practiced on small scorched areas of the jungle. The resulting of the harvest is the property of the married family that has planted in their backyard, but after harvesting, the foods are distributed to all as a rule.
  Pottery and weaving among the Semang people are absent. Steel knives and axes are obtained either through trade or by the processing of steel waste from spearheads, arrows, and blades from knives. Individual specialization is practically absent, except for the religious sphere.
  The division of labor by gender among the Semang also does not exist. They usually work together although, mainly women are engaged in harvesting and farming, and men mainly go hunting.
caption: A Semang man shoots an arrow from his blowgun. The bamboo quiver at his side contains the strongly poisoned arrows. 1937.
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