The Penan delegation hands over their maps to Uggah (second right).
The Penan delegation in a group photo with land lawyer and Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How (right) at the DUN.
KUCHING: Penans from 63 villages at Long Lamai in upper Baram celebrated the completion of their 15-year long community mapping efforts over the weekend.
According to executive director of Penan Organisation Keruan, Komeok Joe, 23 maps containing data collected by the 63 villages at a scale of 1:35,000, covering a total area of 10,000 square kilometres in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) have been completed.
The maps record for the first time the local names of 7,000 rivers and creeks, 1,800 mountain ridges and peaks as well as a great number of cultural sites.
“We hope the (Penan) maps will inspire other indigenous groups to pursue further mapping efforts, and thereby document the cultural richness of Sarawak. Maps are important tools to unite the indigenous peoples in their struggle for their ancestral land,” said Komeok in a statement received here yesterday.
He said apart from documenting Penan culture, the maps also serve as tools for future community-based land use planning and effective nature conservation.
“They include the location of over 800 poison dart trees (Tajem in Penan language) as well as information on wild Sago palms which provide the Penans traditional staple food,” he said.
Komeok said the topographic information was complemented by oral histories and photographs.
“The maps also reflect the continuous struggle of the Penans in protecting their forest lands since the 1980s.
“The maps show both the last remaining primary forest in Sarawak as well as areas ravaged by logging.”
The meeting at Long Lamai ended with the adoption of the ‘Long Lamai Declaration’ in which the community heads underlined the importance of land tenure to their livelihood and reaffirmed their determination to protect the remaining primary rainforest in the region.
The map initiative is supported by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which provides the villagers with training and the necessary equipment such as GPS and a mapping drone.
The Swiss NGO, also assisted in the digital procession of the data and the production of the maps in close cooperation with the Penans.
Komeok also mentioned that the official government maps have neglected the presence of the Penans and their unique relationship with the forest.
“We took the initiative to contribute our knowledge about the land and are very proud of the result,” he said.
Meanwhile, last week, Komeok and a delegation of Penan representatives handed a set of the maps to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, and director of Forest Department, Sapuan Ahmad, in Kuching.