Penan of Malaysia

The BBC documentary series Tribe's episode on the Penan of Malaysia featured Bruce Parry's attempt to live with the Penan in order to fully understand the tribe's relationship with the their environment, the rainforests of Sarawak, as well as the effect of Malaysia's logging policies on the lifestyle of the Penan. The documentary provides two very important insights - that of the Penan's views regarding the environment as well as their views when it comes to the Malaysian government and its policies regarding logging.

The Penan form a very close and symbiotic relationship with their natural environment - that of the Sarawak rainforests. This is shown through the different aspects of their culture. The Penan are a nomadic tribe, often moving from one place to another once resources such as fruit and game become scarce in that area. However, when the Penan decide to leave an area, they try as much as possible to leave in the same state as they found it. They bring with them whatever materials they brought with them with the first place and leave as little waste as possible. This connection with the environment is also present in the Penan's choice of materials for their tools as well as their shelters. As seen in the video, when building a new hut, the Penan use local materials such as wood from the nearby trees and fibers from plants. The forest is also their primary means of sustenance, as they get all their food from it - from their diet of fruits, berries and vegetables from the forest plants to meat from animals such as wild boar, squirrels, and frogs. They also use the forest in communicating with each other; using materials like leaves, twigs, and branches in order to mark their destination and to send messages to each other about their travels. Last but not the least, for the Penan, the forest is their hospital. All the medicine they need is located conveniently at the forests of Sarawak, in the form of various medicinal herbs and plants.

This bond between the environment and the Penan has not only created a relationship between the Penan and the forest, but it has also influenced social relations and traditions between the Penan as well. For example, when it comes to the construction of a hut, there are no gender roles involved in the making. Every member of the community is expected to do his or her part in building the hut. As is it difficult to procure materials from the forest, everyone is expected to do their share and thus no restrictions for gender roles have been established. The forest has also given life to the Penan's spiritual beliefs, as they use different materials from the forest to construct barriers to ward off the logging companies and to cast spells on them if they do intend to trespass. Another interesting part of the Penan culture is the way they treat pets. As seen in the film, the Penan travel with a plethora of animals, ranging from dogs and chickens to squirrels and monkeys. These pets are not simply viewed as animal companions, but rather they are treated as members of the community and just like family. For the Penan, it is unthinkable for them to think of their pets as animals that they may eat some day, as they are just as valued members of the community as the people themselves. According to the Penan, only in the harshest conditions would they be forced to eat one of their pets, and they would not be pleased about it. This shows that the Penan not only see their environment as something that provides their needs, but as a companion that needs to be treated and preserved properly as well.

One of the most shaking truths that the documentary shed light to is the apparent neglect of the Malaysian government to the plight of the Penan. In some ways, it seems that the Malaysian government is not only neglecting the Penan, but they are also working against them. This is seen during the beginning of the film wherein Bruce has a hard time trying to secure permission from the Malaysian government to film the area and the Penan. It even came