May 9, 2007

Central Borneo

A Day with the Penan Tribe

Sleep was hard to come by for the night, and at 5am I had enough. I rose from the small shelter we were sleeping in and wandered the nearby area with my torch. It was a bit of aimless walking, but there was no way I could lie there any longer. All I cared about was having survived the night.

Mick and Roger awoke a little after 6am, and we spent the next hour discussing our options. They paid several hundred dollars for the entire trip, which was supposed to last four days, so it was a big let-down for them. We decided we would spend the rest of the day with the Penan and head out in the afternoon.

Breakfast consisted of white rice and hot tea, but once more I felt awful eating while the rest of the tribe sat by watching. Basically, the three of us are going two straight days without eating. Trust me when I say it is easier this way.

One of the Penan hunters led us into the jungle for the morning, and by 8:30 we were well on our way. After about an hour of walking we had to ford a small river, and as we descended down the slope Roger got stuck in the mud - and when I say stuck, I mean he was up to both thighs in muck. We weren't in any hurry to help him out, so we were free to enjoy the scene as he tried to wiggle his way out.

We continued onward through the jungle while Daniel translated the Penan hunting techniques. Besides the home-made rifle (impressively made from old car parts), dogs were their most important hunting tool. Unfortunately, an outbreak of rabies wiped out the entire canine community about one year ago.

Speaking of being wiped out, a few weeks ago our Penan guide nearly died of malaria. Daniel visited the camp when word of his illness spread, and Daniel convinced the man to seek out western medicine. I was less than thrilled when Daniel also told us the malaria-stricken man spent five days dying in the hut we slept in last night. Thankfully I didn't get bit during the night - despite mosquitoes, moths, spiders, and other critters lining our nets.

At around noon we reached another river where we were free to relax in the shade while we waited for a dugout canoe to pick us up. It was a great spot - reminiscent of the setting for the movie A River Runs Through It -  and I couldn't understand why the Penan didn't live here.

Despite being terrified of crocodiles, I followed Mick and Roger into the river to cool off. We spent about an hour relaxing in the water while we left the fishing poles wedged between rocks, but all we caught was an 8 inch eel. The other Penan hunters had better luck with their nets, and caught about a dozen fair sized fish. This was to be our lunch later in the day. The Penan do not use any preservation techniques choosing instead to eat everything in one sitting.

Eventually the canoe reached us and we hopped in for the ride back to camp. We were riding low in the water, which became a serious matter because there was a gap between two of the planks that allowed water in every time we rocked to the left. Our butts were soaking, and by the time we got out there was easily 3 inches of water in the boat. This was yet another sign that the Penan are not the world's greatest tribe.

When we arrived back at camp we introduced the tribe to the game of soccer and worked up an easy sweat in the process.

Lunch consisted of the fish we caught, more sago, and white rice. As always, my back began aching from the stick floor and I ate like a bird. Even the tea makes me nervous because the tribe gets it from the local river, and even with boiling I don't think all the germs are killed. Better not to think about such things, I suppose.

The real highlight of the trip came after lunch when the girls began singing for us. They dressed up in their best clothing (Daniel often brings them used articles from Belaga), and all the songs all dealt with love. Daniel went on to explain that several of the young girls had fallen in love with me and were desperate for me to stay. They were not shy about their affection either, and would put their arms around me while they sang. From the looks I was getting it was fairly obvious what was on their minds... Mick, Roger, and I were all surprised they were so open about their sexuality, but we were also afraid of getting a spear in the side from the tribe's men.

The girls had beautiful voices and I wish I had a tape recorder because their native songs will not last forever. Hopefully the picture to the right also shows how beautiful many of the girls actually were. It is a shame they will never have the opportunity to pursue an education or fully blossom (the hygiene is horrible, and the elders were all toothless).

Both the oldest man in the village and his wife put on their traditional clothing and showed us a variety of Penan customs, including how to: use a blowpipe, kill a boar, and extract sago from a palm tree. It was much better than the kind of touristy stuff you can find elsewhere, and the old man was far more agile than he looked. It was obvious he took pride in showing his ability even if it has been many years since he stalked the jungle.

Before we set out, we followed the Penan to a river to cool off and play in the water. As I mentioned, sharing songs with the tribe was the best thing that could have happened because we really connected with one another. It was a bit sad leaving, but there was no way we could survive another night sleeping in the small shack.

Daniel brought us to his longhouse for the night, but we didn't arrive until 8:30pm. I still had a bottle of brandy in my pack, so we sat on the communal walkway with a group of ten elders and shared stories. This was a great time as many of the elders had aided the British as scouts during the communist uprisings in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).

As for sleep, it was another rough and ready night with the nets draped over us. If Mick and Roger weren't with me I would have really been in trouble because they have two of the greatest personalities and kept the entire trip exciting. Both would be meeting their wives the following day in the city of Sibu, so we decided we would all travel together because we were getting along great.

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