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Orang Ulu literally means people of the upper river, by definition
people of the jungle.
The term covers a wide variety of people and cultures, some
inter-related, many quite distinct. Some orang ulu groups
are thought to have originated in Borneo, others migrated
there from the Asian mainland and have ethnic links with the
ethnic groups in China and parts of Southeast Asia. Some orang
ulu groups number as many as 150,000, others have only 300
members. Among the main groups are:
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Orang Ulu are famous for their beadwork, decorating their
costumes, baby carriers, ladies bags and sunhats with ornately
traced designed picked out in primary colours. |
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The Kayan
  When
these headhunters exhausted their land in the Apau Kayan area
in Kalimantan, the Kayan migrated north into Sarawak, where
they settled in their present domain - midway on the Baram River,
the upper Rajang River and the lower Tubau River where they
can still be found in their longhouses. Kayan women are distinguishable
by tattoos on their hands and their legs. It is considered a
form of feminine beautification. The tattooing is carried out
when a girl is about ten to twelve years old. Men and women
used to perforate their earlobes. The men wear leopard's teeth
through the hole and the women wear brass or other types of
material through the earlobes in order to extend them. As with
all Orang Ulu tribes, the Kayan are great craftsman. They are
well known for their boat making skills, which they carve from
a single block of belian - the strongest of the tropical hardwoods.
The Kayan population in Sarawak is about 15,000. Although many
Kayan have become Christians, some are still pagans, unaffected
by modern influences.
The Kelabit
 The
Kelabit are inhabitants of the Sarawak highlands - the remotest
and highest of Borneo's mountains. The elevation here is slightly
over 1,200 metres. There are few roads and the area is largely
inaccessible by river because of rapids, so the highlands and
the Kelabit are relatively untouched by modern western influences.
One major western influence that did penetrate this remote ethnic
group was the arrival of Christian missionaries. The Kelabit
are now predominantly Christian. The Kelabit still lead a traditional
life in their inherited longhouses. In tight knit communities
they practise a generations-old form of agriculture - they are
cultivators of wet padi, hill rice, maize, tapioca, pineapple,
pumpkin, cucumber, beans and fruit. They are also great hunters
and expert fisherman. The Kelabit also raise buffalo, which
they value very highly. Traditionally, the dowry for the upper
class bride must consist of at least seven buffaloes.
The Kenyah
 The
exact origin of this former headhunting tribe is unknown. It
has been suggested that the Kenyah are descendants of Bornean
aborigines. Other theories suggest that the Kenyah lived as
nomads in the Upau Kayan area in Kalimantan and migrated later
to the Usun Apau area and the Plieren Valley. They now live
near river headwaters. The Kenyah heartland is Long San, upriver
along the Baram River from Long Akah. They live in close association
with the Kayan, with whose culture they have much in common
though the languages differ. The typical Kenyah village consists
of only one longhouse up to 400 yards long, built on piles,
with a row of family rooms at the back and a wide covered veranda
that serves as a general working space and village street. The
traditional Kenyah economy is based on the cultivation of dry
rice in jungle clearings. The forest is cut and burned, and
the rice is planted among the ashes.
The Penan
 Shy
and elusive, the Penan are the only true nomadic people in Sarawak.
Among the last of the world's hunter-gatherers, the Penan make
their home under the rainforest canopy, deep within the vast
expanse of the State's virgin jungle. Even today, the Penan
continue to roam the rainforest hunting wild boar and deer with
blowpipes. The Penan make complex mental maps of their territory
by naming every feature of the land after an incident that occurred
there, such as the death of a favourite hunting dog or the sighting
of an unusual bird. Their staple food is wild sago, and a nomadic
group only stays in one area until the sago supply is exhausted.
They supplement their diet by foraging for wild fruits, roots
and plants. On jungle treks a fortunate traveller may cross
paths with the Penan on a hunting trip. They suddenly and silently
appear out of the dense undergrowth on the trail in front of
you as if by magic, such is their skill and stealth in the jungle.
It has been suggested that the Penan are descendants of Bornean
aborigines. There are two distinct groups of Penan - the eastern
and the western Penan. The Eastern Penan live mainly in the
Baram and Limbang River areas. The Western Penan are found in
the Balui (the upper Rejang area) as well as the Silat River
(a tributary of the Baram River). The Penan are very skilful
in making rattan baskets and mats. The quality of these products
is extremely good and very durable. The Penan are also well
known for the manufacture of the parang (machete). The traditional
Penan religion is animistic. They believe in a supreme god called
Bungan. There have been conversions to Christianity among the
Penan that no longer live the nomadic life and have settled
in longhouses.
The Punan
 There
is a great deal of confusion between the Punan and Penan. The
difference is in their language. There are three main Punan
dialects that distinguish them from the Penan: Punan Bah-Biau,
Punan Batu and Punan-Nibong. The Punan Bah-Biau are found in
Central Sarawak, around Merit on the Rejang River. The Punan
Batu have settled west of Long Geng, southeast of Belaga. The
Punan-Nibong have settled in the Upper Baram and Balui Rivers
and the Nibong branch of the Lobong River, a tributary of the
Tinjar River. The Punan were nomadic hunter-gatherers who roamed
the rainforest hunting wild boar and deer with blowpipes and
foraged for wild sago, fruits, roots and plants. |
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