Blowpipes for handbags: Malaysia tribe driven from forest weave handicrafts to pay for food and children’s education
Indigenous Penan communities in Malaysian Borneo are building a life for their youth by using the traditional weaving techniques they are known for to sell a variety of goods through local charity Helping Hands Penan
The Penan tribe of Malaysian Borneo face an uncertain future. Economic development has destroyed their forest homelands and their traditional way of life.
But although the Penan people of Sarawak state now have fewer opportunities to hunt with the blowpipes for which they are known, there is one tradition that offers them hope: they are skilled weavers.
This talent was recognised by expats based in neighbouring Brunei a decade ago, leading to the formation of charities that help the Penan weavers sell their wares. One of the charities – Helping Hands Penan – has pioneered a model that helps the impoverished Penan educate their children.
“It started with a few parents who had children in international school in Brunei. They were all friends and one of them had gone hiking into the jungle,” says Violette Tan, a director of the charity.
The parents had hired a Penan porter, who told them the story of his tribe, and the handicrafts they took back impressed other parents. That sparked a large handicraft-buying mission that was the foundation of Helping Hands Penan.
Malaysia’s 18 indigenous groups – which account for 13 per cent of the country’s population of 31 million – are often overlooked. Most Orang Asal, or “original people”, as they are called, rank in the bottom 40 per cent of the country’s earners. The once nomadic Penan are estimated to number about 10,000, and though most have now settled, they still rely on their hunter-gatherer skills to survive.