Nomadic Malaysian tribe tells of life in the forest
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Miki Fujii Daily Yomiuri 12 May, 2004
An indigenous Penan community that lives isolated in the remote forests of Malaysia's Sarawak State, at first seemed alarmed and kept their distance from a Japanese researcher who arrived in the village early this year.
"I knew they were watching me, but it took a while to initiate communication with them," said Aina Ikeda (not her real name), a 27-year-old woman who studied development at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. "The Penans are known for their aversion to all other ethnic groups."
Ikeda launched her oral history collection project deep in Sarawak near the border of Kalimantan, which is known as the place of origin of the Penans, said to be the last nomadic people on Earth. Despite their nomadic tradition, only about 400 of the 10,000 Penan population still follow this lifestyle.
The village visited by Ikeda was sparsely settled and had crystal-clear water running through it--unlike most rivers in the state--which showed that the forest had been left largely undisturbed compared to elsewhere in Sarawak, where the forests have been devastated by heavy logging.
Timber products are a major source of income for the state. In 2002, Japan imported 40 percent of its timber products from Sarawak, according to the International Tropical Timber Organization.
Ikeda's interview sessions began a week after she arrived in the village. She finally met the village chief, who gave her permission to carry out her project, after returning home from a week of fruit gathering.
Elderly people were asked to share their stories with her and described the customs of the tribe.
Through their stories, Ikeda learned that the forest provided everything the Penans needed for survival: food, shelter and medicine.
This same forest, however, is under the threat of merciless logging. The village has already lost nearly half of its communal forest area and a road now crosses this land.
The Penans have demanded the government protect the forest, which they claim belongs to them as communal property, not to the companies that have been given licenses to log there.
"Their traditional beliefs dictate that they protect the forest by preventing unnecessary logging to maintain an ecological balance," Ikeda said.
Penan guardianship of the forest and its natural resources is reflected in a custom referred to as "molong" in the Penan tongue. Molong requires an individual or community to control the use of resources for the sake of future generations, and is visualized by a special symbol created by natural materials such as rattan. A Penan villager described molong to Ikeda as a signal of their love for the natural resources in the forest.
The effect of the system is that the resources are not overharvested and kept sustainable to serve the needs of the present and the future. This particular form of stewardship is a custom unique to the Penan, and it prohibits wasting natural resources.
The concept, however, does not ban access to the resources by others. "Other people can pick the fruit of a 'molonged' tree only if they are desperately in need, but the taker must inform the patron later," Ikeda said.
Ikeda also learned the Penan only partially cut sago palms and fruit trees to make sure some are left behind to grow in the future. Penans traditionally believe they will die if they waste something.
The Penans also have special skills to communicate with others traveling in the forest.
One day, Ikeda woke up to find she and her assistant were left behind. She was surprised to find a Penan had left her specific instructions to catch up with the others. "They left a message conveyed by a pattern of sticks and leaves telling me which direction the group had headed and how many were in the group. The Penans communicated in such ways, so they can get by in the forest without cellular phones," Ikeda said. The messages are often used to warn others of possible dangers and to invite friends to join them.
After returning to Japan, Ikeda compiled a book of photos--currently published in Japanese, Penan and English--describing the customs and intelligence of a people she described as "Those who live closest to the forest." It was designed for Japanese readers, but Ikeda hopes to be able to convey the contents of the book to the Penans, who are mostly illiterate, to win their trust when she returns for the next mission.
With a growing number of young Penans settling in villages to enjoy modern lifestyles, documenting their traditional culture will become more difficult for the young Japanese researcher.
Ikeda's project may also reveal the Penans' historical use of certain areas in Sarawak going back to before 1958, which would allow them to claim ownership of those lands under the state's Land Code.
"My project is a race against time," Ikeda said. "I think my most significant findings need to come in the next two to three years. Otherwise, the elderly who remember the incidents from 1958 and before may pass away or lose their memories."
She interviewed elderly people regarding how certain areas were being used, origins of names of such areas and rivers. She has also asked workers to identify the locations of these areas via global positioning systems to record accurate data.
Her two-week mission proved successful in opening up the hearts of the Penans.
"We've never had visitors from outside, not even Malaysian government officials. I feel more confident now that there's someone supporting us," Ikeda quoted the village chief as telling her.
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World Islamic Tourism Mart / Malaysia
WITM 2012 InCoMTHU Conference will feature quality and world renown speakers not only from Malaysia but from around the globe. In its 6th Year, the WITM InCoMTHU Conference 2012 will have speakers fro (16/05/2012)
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