Sarawak Culture Sarawak Penan Culture People of the Forest : The Penan

Glossary of Related Terms

This glossary of Penan terms has been compiled from information obtained in the interviews with various Penan community members.

atui: A wooden xylophone that only to be played when one gets a clouded leopard.

bareh: A type of iron used as the main item in blacksmithing

belatik: A wild boar trap

belu’ing: A hand sickle

Bilik/amin: A bilik or amin in a longhouse setting represents one family unit.

biyew: Small animal traps for as birds or four legged animal such as fox, mouse deer, monkeys.

bua’ta: A type of jungle fruit

burak: Rice wine

kelorei: A traditional musical instrument where a few bamboo sticks of different lengths and sizes are tied together and attached to a gourd at the bottom end of it. The sound is produced by blowing through the gourd.

kerajang: An iron rod used during the first process of poking hole in a blowpipe

keringot: A bamboo nose flute

lake' savit pedun: A type of rattan use to tie the animal trap

lake’ lunuk: A type of rattan use to tie the animal trap

nyateng: Resin or better known by its Malay word damar

oreng: A type of jew's harp made of the sliver of the stem of a sago branch.

pagang: Bamboo harp

parang: Machetes

pepanak: An action of hitting the opponent’s spin top

pepok: Another form of small animal trap.

pipok atui: Two small sticks used to hit the atui

purok: A hearth normally located in the middle of the hut

pusan: An ancient blacksmithing blower used for blacksmithing.

ridan: Thorns of a plant

sape: A string instrument adopted from the neighbouring Kenyah

selungan: Ratttan bangles usually worn at the male’s calf

ske’tok: A fish species

sulap: A small hut made out of wooden poles and roofed with palm leaves

suwak: Thorns

syok: An iron rod used to polish a blowpipe’s bore. A small piece of rattan is attached at the tip of the rod

tajem: A name of a tree (antiaris toxicaris) that produces latex and the latex usually used for blow pipe dart poison.

tanyit: A name of a tree species. In Malay, tanyit is known as “Pokok Ketapang” (koompassia excels)

telekit: A ring of rattan used for target practice.