Kuala Lumpur - The Penans of Sarawak are a misunderstood tribe. Whilst their nomadic way of life is regarded uncivilised by the outside world, the Penans are only too contented to call the remote interiors of Sarawak their home.
Their hunting prowess and the abundance of food in the jungle further strengthened their resolve to remain deep in the belly of the jungle. Money is the least of their worry. The day-to-day survival and being able to bring food back to their families are what matter most.
The Penans are one of the world`s last nomadic people still inhabiting the primeval forest. These last hunter-gathers of Borneo are slowly abandoning their nomadic way of life due the shrinking forests of Sarawak and the enticing modern lifestyle.
FOREST PART OF THE PENAN`S WAY OF LIFE
In Sarawak there are about 9,000 Penans but only some 300 of them lead a nomadic life in the jungle. The nomadic Penans consist of a dozen or so different groups with each informally led by a headman or chief.
Today too it is estimated that less than 10 percent of Sarawak`s original primeval forests are intact. To the Penans, it is not the development per se that worries them but the consequences of such development.
A former nomadic Penan, Ayat Linong, in his 80s, said that Penans were not against activities like logging but feared that such activities damaged the intrinsic value of a forest.
"The forest has been my home for over 50 years. I know every tree there is, and I have always relied on them to heal my physical wounds. My worry is that logging activities will destroy these trees so rich in medicinal value.
"Also, the nomadic Penans depend on the forest for their survival. Hunting helps us find food. If development creeps in, where will they go in search of food? Some of the Penans are happy in the forest, doing what they like best, hunting," he said, his remarks interpreted by his son Pulut Ayat.
REALITY
Ayat perhaps is among the few Penans who take pride in wearing the loincloth. These days he covers his bare body with a shirt. And his typical Penan-look never fails to steal attention among foreigners.
When Bernama met Ayat and his son Pulut in a remote village called Long Kevok in the interiors of Ulu Baram recently, it was surprising to note the difference between Ayat and Pulut, the former who still wanted to retain his Penan heritage and the other who felt compelled to move with the changing times.
Ayat said while it saddened him to see the younger generation of Penan opting for a `modern` look, he knew that was a bitter reality he had to accept.
"Yes, it saddens me to see the young Penans looking so different. The typical Penan hairstyle is gone and so are the long dangling earlobes and the black rattan bangles the older Penans wear.
"For me, while I am now resettled, I still miss not going into the jungle to hunt. I miss not being inside the forest, not seeing the trees. Hunting for us was a matter of life and death. I would sometimes spend a week in the forest hunting for food and would only return to my family when I managed to hunt down a wild boar or other animal," he added.
In spite of his longing for the jungle, Ayat is happy to see his granddaughter attend school.
"I did not have the opportunity to send my son Pulut to school, as there were none back then. I am happy to see our children today being able to attend school," he said.
MATTER OF SURVIVAL
Ayat`s son Pulut, 55, a farmer, said it was not that the Penans refused to come out of the jungle. It was just that food was easy to find in the jungle. And the fact that they are not educated made it difficult to obtain a job.
"We can only rely on hunting because that is all we know. I am illiterate and can only manage the basics of reading and writing through the help of a friend," he said.
But Pulut made sure his children attended school.
"I realise that education is useful in helping my children earn better and a good life. I am not afraid of modernisation because I know it helps. It is not fair to blame the Government for not helping us. It does but we need more help like proper houses and jobs.
"What we do not want to see happening is the indiscriminate logging because that spoils the jungle. It is in the jungle that the Penan make their own medicine, with the help of the many trees that have medicinal value," he said.
Ayat said health-wise the Penans in the jungle suffered from stomach-ache, headache, chest pains and joint aches, not to mention being exposed to inherent dangers like falls from hills and being bitten by poisonous snakes.
Both Ayat and Pulut have their respective identity cards which they had applied some years ago.
"We know the identity card is important, so we applied for it," said Pulut.
A DRASTIC CHANGE
Fellow Penan Yakup Pun, 35, a farmer, said the lack of education prevented the Penans from venturing out of the jungle.
"We cannot find any job outside. And living in the jungle is easier for us plus the food is free there. We do not have to worry about money to buy food," he said speaking in Malay.
Still, Yakup, like Ayat, realises the need for education to shape a better life.
"Our parents were not exposed to all this and they in turn could not educate us on the need for education. Likewise we know that cleanliness is important but our jungle life never exposed us to this important aspect," he said.
CHANGE INEVITABLE
The natives` community leader known as Pemancar, Laing Jok, 50, said the Penans took a long time to embrace development.
"We need more help in building schools, roads, and providing us with electricity and telephone facilities. I believe the Penans must develop themselves and can start by changing the way they look at development," he told Bernama.
He said divorce was high among the `modern` Penans and most Penan girls were married off at a tender young age of 10.
"These girls are married off to men 10 or 20 years older than they are. Some of these girls end up marrying loggers who come in to log the trees. Some of these loggers are already married but hide this fact from the Penan girls. However, in the case of a divorce, the women do not despair. They persevere and get on with life," he said.
Laing Jok said more efforts had to be made to get the Penan children interested in attending school.
"Because of their way of life, these children feel happier inside the jungle than in the classroom," he said.
Source: www.bernama.com (15 Desember 2007)
