Sarawak Cultural Village: The Penan People

From JR Hogan's Malaysia Asia blog:

Sarawak Cultural Village is home to many of the ethnic Sarawak tribes and this posting talks about the Penan People. The Penans are a nomadic tribe found mostly in the northern parts of Sarawak namely near Miri, Baram and Limbang. Here at the Sarawak Cultural Village, they have an actual Penan Hut displaying the lifestyle of the Penans who are genuinely a soft spoken and gentle tribe.

A Penan hut in the Sarawak Cultural Village shows how basic these tribe homes can be. As these forest nomads live deep in the virgin jungles of Sarawak, they usually move in small groups living in an area until the resources are fully used up before they move on to another location.

The Penan huts are made from palm leaves and tree barks which lasts only for a few months and are usually situated near wild sago trees as it is the Penan peoples staple food. The Penans also support themselves by hunting, collecting jungle produce like herbs, gathering wild fruits and also barter trading. Besides this, they are also well know for making good quality blowpipes. A blowpipe is usually made from the hardwood Jagang tree and is usually made to a length of 8 feet via a tedious process. The poison for the darts are made from the Upas tree.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Sarawak Cultural Village: The Penan People
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