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E-book The Dialectical Primatologist : The Past, Present and Future of Life in the Hominoid Niche

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Penilaian

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Entrance into the sacred heart of the Sancang forest requires a steep descent of 337 unevenly aligned, concrete steps. With every passing year, the tentacles of tree roots make further advances in their inevitable quest to reclaim the forest floor. Ka handap; ka luhur – the Sundanese (West Javan) terms for descending and ascending – I climb the steps several times a day following gibbons from pre-dawn to dusk. Branching-off from the steps are small trails that circumvent the buttresses of giant trees. The equatorial sun is filtered prism-like through a dense canopy that is characteristic of lowland tropical rainforests. This remnant pocket of intact forest is both a pleasing glimpse, and a painful reminder, of what was once widespread. For the gibbons overhead, this particular combination of dipterocarp (Dipterocarpaceae), dracantomelon (Anacardiaceae) and fig (Moraceae) species represents the ideal habitat for sleeping, singing, feeding and socialising. Footsteps and voices can be heard at the top of the steps – another group of penziarah (spiritual pilgrims) are entering the forest. This time it is a group of six men. Earlier in the day it was an extended family. Trailing the men I see Pak Ade, a prominent kuncen (spiritual intermediary, literally “keeper of the keys”, or “gatekeeper”), who also happens to be the father of the village head. Without emotion or reaction, I draw a line through the last several minutes of recorded data and close my notebook. In a few moments, I will be compelled to greet the visitors, and discuss my recent experiences in the forest with Pak Ade. The ensuing disruption to the data collection regime will invalidate the present sample of meticulously recorded gibbon behaviour.Sundanese society follows Javanese in that almost nothing is more important than the knowledge of, and adherence to, behavioural etiquette and expectations. After a short conversation while leaning against a formidable tree trunk, Pak Ade shifts his weight and strikes the tree with his golok (machete) to remove a strip of kulit kayu palahlar (bark from this particular dipterocarp species). Most assuredly, when dusk falls in the forest, the bark will be set alight and transformed into aromatic wisps of smoke to complement Pak Ade’s ritual incantations. The perception of this incense will be short-lived, eventually succumbing to the diluting clouds of cengkeh-infused smoke from the non-stop crackling of kretek cigarettes – a ubiquitous reminder of the importance of clove (Syzygiumaromaticum) as a defining commodity of the Asian spice trade. Chants turn into sunset Maghrib prayers; prayers into story-telling and informal conversation. Twenty-five metres above, a group of four gibbons are settled-in for the night. Fatigued and lonely, though never alone, I copy my data by hand into back-up notebooks and struggle in vain to keep my equipment dry during the seasonal rains. After a few hours of sharing stories and sipping coffee, I excuse myself from the social moment and retire to my tent, all the while attempting to regu-late my internal and external states.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

301 MAL t

Penerbit

New York : Taylor & Francis., 2022

Deskripsi Fisik

211 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780367211349

Klasifikasi

301

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

Sociology and Anthropology, Society

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Nicholas Malone

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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