At home in the forest: the Punan people of the Malinau River

Abstract

At the heart ofthe vast forests that cover the island of Borneo, upstream from the rivers, live the Punan people. In days past, they were nomadic hunter-gatherers. Today, most have settled in villages. Rice and cassava were once obtained from sedentary neighbors, but are now important subsistence crops for the Punan. They also grow sorne cash crops. Yet hunting, fishing and gathering products of the forest are still the main activities oftheir daily life.