art of penan

 

What does Penan art look like
They make varied and sophisticated objects out of wicker, like bags and baskets made out of rattan, with vegetal designs, mats with geometrical designs, necklaces and very light bracelets. some of the artwork they used in real life such as blowpipes , poison darts, sago .

Description of artwork used in real life.

BlowpipesPenan blowpipes, called keleput, are about 6 feet long and made from one solid piece of hard wood, often iron wood, in about 2 weeks. The hole is made using a long metal bar with a screwdriver-like tip, which is simply driven into the wood and turned, over and over. The Penan often build a jig for this.

Attached to the end of the blowpipe is a metal spear head, attached with rattan and rubber-like resin. This is used for finishing off large wounded animals and offers protection from wild beasts. Many Penan clans had a blacksmith once, but now these spears are bought from outsiders. Much shorter blowpipes are sometimes made for hunting at close range in dense forest.


Poison Darts

The bark of the tajem tree is cut to extract a milky latex that is warmed over a fire to produce the poison for Penan darts. Sometimes a new batch is started with a little of an old one or other ingredients like chilli. Tajem interferes with the functioning of the heart, causing lethal arrhythmias. There are a number of antidotes to the poison, the most common being drawn from a type of tree creeper.

Blowpipe darts are made from palm fronds with a lightweight stopper to make an air-tight seal. Darts with metal tips (cut from tin cans) are used for big game like deer and bearded pig, whilst those for small game are simply sharpened before being dipped in poison.  

                                                          
SagoMaking sago flour is a communal activity, with men, women and children all taking part. Sago palms can grow up to 12 metres high producing a number of trunks. These are rolled down to a water source, split and their cores pummelled with wooden tools. The pulp is then tipped onto rattan mats supported by a wooden frame and stamped on, much like pressing grapes. Eventually the filtered and condensed starch juice forms a thick paste and can be transported back to camp where it is dried in blocks above a fire before being shared out

Forest Products
forest products like damar (now used in eco-paints), rattan mats and baskets, rhino horn, gaharu wood (or eagle-wood), wild rubber, monkey gallstones (for Chinese medicine), bills of hornbills, skins, deer antlers and of course meat. These were traded for manufactured good like knives, cooking pots and shotguns – some Penan still own colonial era shotguns.

What are the sole beliefs and taboos of the Penans? 
The Penan tribespeople belief in myths and spirits are strongly to this very day although traditional creation myths and concepts of heaven and hell are seldom discussed. Their prominent dogma include vacating as soon as death befalls one of them. This practice proves to be the primary reason for their nomadic lifestyle. Permanent dwelling is prohibited in their culture. Also, the tribesmen believe that huge trees should be protected and  prevented from being cut down. In addition, forest areas should not be cleared up under any circumstances according to the Penan tribe. During conversations, no one shouts or ever dares interrupt. A Penan does not own any land for himself and never lets anyone go hungry. 

Celebrations, festivals & rituals 

Festivals are not part of traditional Penan culture, but blood pacts were once undertaken, usually as part of political agreements between Penan leaders and neighbouring tribes. Rituals varied, but in some cases leaders would shed blood onto tobacco and then smoke it together, thus consuming each other's blood and preventing future conflict. A breach of this pact was believed to cause the vomiting of blood and a violent death. 
Similar rituals relate to banishing bad luck in hunting trips or to end a period of unsuccessful hunts. By smearing their blood onto a sago leaf, folding it and burying it some hunters believe they can change their fortune.