FOR thousands of years, Malaysia’s ancient nomadic Batek tribes have inhabited the peninsular tropical rain forest. In other words, their lives were interwoven with the life of the forest itself.

Life has changed little for them till today. With very few permanent homes, Batek build their thatched lean-to shelters underneath the large canopy of the rainforest. They still hunt small game with simple weapons and gather the fruits and tubers that the forest provides them in abundance.