The Punan societies of Borneo, traditionally nomadic rainforest hunters and gatherers, have undergone a transformation over the past centuries. As downriver farming peoples expanded upstream and their cultures and technologies diffused, the Punan gradually abandoned their nomadic existence for a more sedentary life of trade-related activities and subsistence agriculture. But the culture that has emerged from these changes is still based on the enduring ideological premises of nomadism. This study, historical in perspective, examines the many factors-ecological, economic, commercial, political, social, cultural, and ideological-that have played a part in this continuing transformation. Foreword by Georges Condominas.
The Penan, one of the few remaining nomadic peoples of the rain forest, live in a place of indescribable beauty -- and all around them the forest is coming down at an alarming pace. In their East Malaysian state of Sarawak, the rate of timber cut is among the highest the world has ever known. This timely book addresses in words (both narrative and quotations) and unforgettable pictures the plight of the Penan. The majority of the photographs and quotations were collected during many field trips the authors made into the interior of Sarawak. Dramatic. -- The Los Angeles Times
This is the first comprehensive picture of the nomadic and formerly nomadic hunting-gathering groups of the Borneo tropical rain forest, totaling about 20,000 people.
Over the years, Swiss photographer Tomas Wüthrich has visited Borneo many times to document the daily life of the Penan, a partially nomadic indigenous people living in the rainforests of Borneo. Their hunter-gatherer way of life in the Malaysian state of Sarawak is critically threatened by illegal logging and oil palm plantations, a fact that came to the world's attention when Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser disappeared in the jungle without a trace in the year 2000 while campaigning for the Penan cause. In Doomed Paradise, Wüthrich paints a nuanced portrait of this unique culture through his stunning and sensitive photographs. Alongside the photographs are a selection of Penan myths, published here for the first time and collected by Canadian ethnographer, linguist, and filmmaker Ian B. G. Mackenzie, who has been researching the language and culture of the Penan since 2001. Also included is an essay by Lukas Straumann on Bruno Manser's legacy of activism on behalf of the Penan and its continued influence.
Plaited Arts from the Borneo Rainforest is the first comprehensive work of its kind and size. It promotes a “contextual” approach, combining not just botanical and technical, but also economic, social, and ritual elements. In short, the book focuses on how the people of Borneo rely on the plaited arts in their daily lives. The twenty-one contributors are the world’s leading experts on the subject, scholars and artisans who live in Borneo or have spent many years there and have become deeply involved, on a personal and emotional level, with the people of the island and their cultures. They hail from ten different nations, including Malaysia and Indonesia, and from Borneo itself: Sarawak, Sabah, and Kalimantan. The work relies on firsthand experience in the field as it documents the variety and complexity of basketry. It is organized into twelve parts that discuss the ethnobotanical and technical aspects of basketry in Borneo, the “cultural region” in detail, mat styles and other specific basketry forms, changes in basketry, the current market, and the future of Borneo’s basketry. An essay on style and identity is followed by an abundantly illustrated appendix that surveys the relation between the tropical environment and material culture. Finally, a selection of revised texts published by pioneer authors describe Borneo basketry during the decade before World War II. Contributors: Marieanne Davy Ball, Jean-François Bléhaut, Hanne Christensen, Pascal Couderc, Susi Dunsmore, Roy W. Hamilton, Arne Martin Klausen, Arnoud H. Klokke, Martin Lenjau, Robin Fedilis Lojiwin, Valerie Mashman, Heidi Munan, Patricia Nayoi, Mering Ngo, Janet Rata Noel, Patricia Regis, Diana Rose, Bernard Sellato, Martua T. Sirait, Dianne M. Tillotson.
The Peaceful People is the story of the Penan, the jungle nomads of Sarawak, who for decades have fought for possession and preservation of their traditional forest lands. Drawing on extensive first-hand interviews, as well as the diaries and journals of explorers, botanists and colonial administrators, and the observations of missionaries, the book provides the most comprehensive account of the dynamics of Penan society to date. Written in a compelling and accessible style, the narrative tells the shocking history of the Penan, exposing massacres and murders, while recounting the nomads' uniquely shy and peaceful way of life. In particular, the analysis focuses on the Penan's consistently non-violent modern-day protests against rampant logging which attracted world attention in the 1980s and 1990s. The Peaceful People is essential reading for those interested in the history and culture of Borneo, the politics of logging and development, and the lives of indigenous peoples who seek new ways to survive in a hostile world.
In 1984 Swiss shepherd Bruno Manser trekked through the virgin rainforests of Borneo to live among the jungle's last nomads. In six years among the Penan people, Manser witnessed the wholesale destruction of one of the world's most diverse ecosystems through rapid deforestation. He swore to do everything he could to stop it. Manser's globetrotting campaign brought the world's attention to tropical deforestation. It also made him an enemy of Asia's timber barons. In 2000 he disappeared without a trace. This edition is the export edition, with pictures in black and white. For colour please order directly from the publisher's website. Ruedi Suter's engrossing biography - the first in English - charts Manser's extraordinary journey from a young man who sought to escape civilization for the peace of the jungle to a campaigner who would stand up to oligarchs, lead protests around the globe, and, ultimately, give his life for the forests that he loved.
