TRANSITION FROM NATIVE FOREST RUBBERS TO HEVEA-BRASILIENSIS (EUPHORBIACEAE) AMONG TRIBAL SMALLHOLDERS IN BORNEO

This is a study of the historic transition in Southeast Asia, in parti cular Borneo, from the exploitation of native forest rubbers to Para r ubber (Hevea brasiliensis, Euphorbiaceae). During the second half of t he nineteenth century, booming international markets subjected forest rubbers to more intensive and competitive exploitation. At the same ti me, the settlement patterns of tribal rubber gatherers were becoming m ore sedentary and their agriculture more intensive. Hevea spp. was bet ter suited to these changed circumstances than the native forest rubbe rs, largely because it was cultivated not naturally grown. The status of Hevea spp. in Southeast Asia as a cultigen, as opposed to a natural forest product, and the political-economic implications of this helps to explain the contrasting histories of smallholder rubber producers in the New and Old Worlds. This study offers an historical perspective on current debates regarding relations between forest resources, fore st peoples, and the state.