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

Cover Image

Map 1: Miri Division : Penan Settlements

Introduction

The Penan are included in the politically coined term Orang Ulu. The Orang Ulu is a complex cluster which includes about 27 indigenous minority groups in Sarawak (Ding Seling and Langub, 1989, p19). The term Orang Ulu literally translates as “people of the upper river”. The Penan are a gentle people with a highly egalitarian society with little gender division amongst them. Whilst tribes like the Kayan and Kenyah have long settled, the Penan are divided into two groups. One group continues to find solace in their nomadic way of life. However an increasing number of Penan are shifting to semi-nomadism or even to a settled existence. Many live within or at the edges of the jungle and take advantage of the jungle as their source of food, shelter and domestic materials.

Traditionally, the Penan have led a nomadic way of life. Their settlements consisted of huts or sulap, made out of wooden poles and roofed with palm leaves which were once readily available in the jungle. Semi-nomadic refers to the group that stay in a particular locality more or less permanently by building more durable shelters, cultivates hill paddy and raises poultry, but are still dependent largely on hunting and gathering. They may occupy the area for a period of days or months until the resources have been exhausted. The settled-Penan groups practice swidden agriculture and stays permanently in durable houses in villages (Metcalf, 1974; Langub, 1989). With greater exposure to the modern world and access to primary and secondary (in some cases even tertiary) education, many Penan are gradually moving away from their traditional nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles and practices.

This publication and the accompanying DVD focuses on the Penan from the following settlements: Long Latei’, Long Kevok and Ba’ Puak in the vicinity of Long Bedian; Long Keluan, Long Beku/Long Lewe’ and Ba’ Abang in the area of Long San; and Ba’ Data Bila (See Map 1). It focuses on the life of the nomadic, semi-nomadic and settled Penan in term of their dwellings/ settlements, family units, agricultural activities, hunting activities, economic activities, marriage and religion, education, arts and crafts, and ethno-botanical knowledge.