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The Penans in Long Iman III:

Long Iman's treasures

"Babi Hutan!!!" (Wild boar). The hysterical exclamation of one of the Penans broke the silence of the jungle. It was the voice of Rocky. But why would a Penan have such reactions when being encountered with one of their common neighbours that they shared the jungle with daily? Tan, my mission team mate was of course shaken understandably. Being a middle aged family man with children back home, he had not expected the walk in the jungle that day to be such a long walk nor had he hoped for any peril of any nature. For me, I had came for the adventure or whatever authentic day to day life these Penans would usually face. I wanted to be in their shoes (or loin cloth for that matter) for one week. Right there in the midst of the densed tropical Borneo jungle, I had what I had hoped for. The sense that I was not in control, but at the mercy of my surroundings and my fate belonged to God.

I tried to catch up with Rocky to have a sighting of the wild boar. The name Rocky is surely not an indigenous name of an aborogine from Borneo. It was a name given to him after the Penans watched one of their favorite movies (Rocky movie by Sylvester Stallone) on their first television aired on the local television channel. Rocky was given this name as he exemplified the aggression and determination of the main boxer character in the movie. I had to quicken my steps to follow the lanky and agile Rocky who was chasing after the boar. Though I was mindful not to step out of the narrowing trail with thorny bushes as borders, nor to tread on unchartered territories.

"Siungnya panjang!", exclaimed Rocky again. Right then, Timok shouted for me to stop. I looked back and saw that I was quite some distance away from the rest of the team. What was a siung I wondered, but Rocky was already far ahead for me to probe him. Timok was our guide from Miri city who knew the Penans of Long Iman. He would surely know what a siung was, as he spent his youth at the jungles of Borneo but had the determination to finish school and later worked with the churches at Miri city. He was a Berawan, another small tribe of Borneo who lived close to the Penans but were usually more entrepreneurial and engaged in fishing, tourism and small food industries. Timok was gasping his breath as he approached me. "This wild boar has long tusks! Please stay with us". Pak Urip, the Penan chieftain of Long Iman then walked past us swiftly as he looked for Rocky to briddle his rashfulness.

None of us had expected an adventure out of this walk in the jungle. Pak Urip had invited Timok, his beloved guest, together with the whole mission team to visit a traumatised girl from the family of Tele and to pray for her. She escaped from the city folks and sought refuge with her family. The Tele family lived a distance away from the rest of the villagers and that is why we had a longer walk than usual in the jungles. We were just pondering upon her sad fate as we headed home for a late lunch. It seemed that Rocky's findings would add to the menu for our starving stomachs. I was full of hope but Tan frowned at me. He was expecting just a break from work and risk was out of his radar. He had planned everything well for this one week trip to ensure safety is of utmost priority .He bought safety jackets for everyone during the boat rides along the murky river. He went to the clinic to get malaria pills for everyone before the trip. Everything was within calculated risk except for this. A ferocious wild boar that could react violently when attacked.

Our senses of the jungle grew stronger as we were cautious of danger and were exploring it more intensely. The mosquito bites seemed more obvious than before and Tan was getting restless. Timok was calm as usual and even took opportunity to point us rare species of plants, making it an educational jungle walk while on the pursuit of the hunt. The Penans and Berawans had made the jungle their homes and they were knowledgeable on medicinal plants and food that could be collected from the rich rainforest of Borneo.

According to Timok, there were forty words of the sago palm in the Penan language but no words for goodbye or thank you or thief. For it was the sago palm that the Penans depended for their basic cabohydrate supply since they did not practice agriculture and only lived as hunters and gatherers, travelling through remote jungles each day. The products of the jungle included roots that cleanse, leaves that cure, edible fruits and seeds, plants that yield glue to trap birds, toxic latex for poison darts, rare resins and gums for trade, twine for baskets, leaves for shelter and sandpaper, wood to make blowpipes, boats, tools, and musical instruments. The jungle was their life and they were in touch with nature each day, feeling the pulse of God.

While we were talking, there was a loud snap and a squeal that followed. I hurried in front despite Tan holding me back. I missed the action but saw the scars of the battle. Rocky had bruises on his leg but managed to spear the wild boar. He began to claim his victory by removing the tusks of the boar for it was a sign of a warrior to be wore on his ears or on a lace on his neck. Few could capture a wild boar with its tusk. Pak Urip said that it was fate that we had that boar as our meal. This would spare the other boar they had in their keeping. They usually trapped boars or caught them alive (those without tusks) and reared them to a good size. We headed home to the greeting of the other lady folks who were picking leaves for our lunch.

When we arrived, tea and cakes were waiting for us at Pak Urip's house. The villagers had been good to us throughout our stay in Long Iman. They had prepared the best meals that they themselves would not have eaten for a long time. The old clothing we brought from Petaling Jaya were so much appreciated as their childrens' clothes were already tattered and filled with mud stains. I could see their faces lit up with joy in hearing our Christian message, songs and testimonies the night before. While it was more of a vacation to us and a break from city life, they treated our stay as a mission to bring a special message to all of them. Though, I felt there was more to learn from them than us.

"Makan, makan!" (Please eat!), invited Pak Urip for us to help ourselves with the tea and cakes in front of us. He knew we were shy yet exhausted after a long days walk in the jungle. We had almost the same cakes at the house of Tele as well. Tele was very appreciative of all of us for visiting his family and to pray for his daughter. It was disheartening to see the condition of 14 year old Mayu who was shaken terribly and traumatised after being raped in a timber company nearby but managed to escape to be with her parents finally. The mood that afternoon was low even with the successful hunt by Rocky.

I decided to start the conversation by asking where Tele got his name thinking it must be because he watched lots of television. That carved smiles on Pak Urip and a few of the Penan folks who were sitting with us. Only Rocky got his name from the television. Tele was once a starving young boy armed with his blowpipe looking for a meal. He managed to kill tele, the Penan name for the world's smallest squirrel that resided in the jungles of Borneo. As he was without food for many days, he went ahead to cook it and consumed it alone instead of sharing it with all his siblings. In Penan culture, even the smallest of prey need to be divided equally among all the siblings emphasizing the importance of sharing at a young age. Thus, Tele was given this name to remind him of his past transgression.

Pak Urip added that Tele had long changed to be a man full of generosity and compassion. While he had endured much anger and pain, he had learnt forgiveness like the rest of the Penan folks. There had been too many happenings surrounding the village of Long Iman lately, but the peace of God had enveloped them to remain thankful each day for the breath they had and the provisions from the jungle they received. They continuously experienced divine protection and remained content with whatever good or bad that came upon them.

Timok began to share stories about logging companies that are becoming more and more aggresive and being a dangerous threat to the Penans in Long Iman. Pak Urip sipped his tea and looked outside the verandah of his house. The threat of evil was as old as the forest. Man had always been thinking that they are smarter than the other. But, until they learn content and humility that only God is sovereign and supreme, they have missed the purpose of life. Until they sought to forgive, to love and to share, they were merely living their lives as creatures in the forest.

I looked out and saw a squirrel running across trees. Pak Urip has certainly learnt a lot from the jungle. He was the strength that the Penans in Long Iman depended upon. He taught them to value humanity even as they lived in the jungles. I had been wrong to think that they were no different from the creatures in the jungle. They held a treasure deep within that no one could steal. The rich aroma of the roasted wild boar arrived and stopped my musing, but added my thanksgiving for the day.

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