 An elderly Punan man performing Bungan rites. Photo taken atPunan Sama village. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| approx. 5,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 MalaysiaSarawak (Kapit andBintulu Division)  IndonesiaWest Kalimantan andEast Kalimantan | |
| Languages | |
| Punan Bah,Malay,Indonesian,English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity andAnimism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dayak people, Sekapan,Kejaman, Lahanan' |
Punan Bah orPunan[1] is an ethnic group found inSarawak,Malaysia andKalimantan,Indonesia.[2] The Punan Bah people are distinct and unrelated to the semi-nomadicPenan people.[3][4] Their name stems from two rivers along the banks of which they have been living since time immemorial. They have other names includingMikuang Bungulan orMikuang andAveang Buan but those are used only ritually nowadays.
The Punan (or Punan Ba) have never been nomadic. In the old days,[when?] they based their living on a mixed economy – Swidden agriculture[5] with hill paddy as the main crop, supplemented by a range of tropical plants which include maniok, taro, sugar cane, tobacco, etc. Hunting, especially wild boar, fishing, and gathering of forest resources,[5] are the other important factors in their economy.
However, in the late 1980s, many Punan, notably the younger, more educated, gradually migrated to urban areas such asBintulu,Sibu,Kuching andKuala Lumpur in search of better living. However, they didn't abandon their longhouses altogether. Many would still return home, especially during major festivities such asHarvest Festival or Bungan festival as it is known among Punan.
Punan is a stratified society of 'laja' (aristocrats), 'panyen' (commoners), and 'lipen' (slaves). This determines their historical traditions that have been preserved. Just like most of the history of European Middle Ages is linked to and mainly concerned the various ruling monarchs, so are the historical and mythical traditions of Punan closely connected to their rulings aristocrats.
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There is this common misunderstanding that all the so-called Punan on the island of Borneo are related and belong to the same tribe.[citation needed] InSarawak, for example, there is the confusion between Punan andPenan.[4] On the other hand, throughout the island ofBorneo, the term Punan was often indiscriminately used during colonial times to refer to the then (unknown or yet to be classified) tribes as such as Punan Busang, Penihing, Sajau Hovongan, Uheng Kareho, Merah, Aput, Tubu, Bukat, Ukit, Habongkot, Penyawung as Punan. This heritage from colonial times still remain until today.
As a result, there are now more than 20 different tribes or ethnics with the name Punan that may be related or unrelated to one another in the island ofBorneo. These tribes include:
Officially, as under the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance,[8] Punan is group under Kajang together with Sekapan,Kejaman, Lahanan and Sihan.
Unofficially, they are also included in the politically coined termOrang Ulu – popularised by a political association known as Orang Ulu National Association or (OUNA). The association is aKayan andKenyah dominated association which they established in 1969.
Research on Northeast Bornean Punan communities revealed them to display strong genetic ancestry connections to each other, and that they form an outgroup to other Austronesian-speaking groups. The results of a 2023 study "support long-term occupation of Borneo by Punan-related people" predating the arrival of other Austronesian-speakers from which they diverged earlier.[9]
Punan are mostly found aroundBintulu, Sarawak. Punan peoples can only be found at Pandan, Jelalong and Kakus inBintulu Division; along theRajang River, theirlonghouses dotted areas spanning fromMerit District to lowerBelaga town.
The Punan are believed[by whom?] to be one of the earliest peoples to have settled in the central part of Borneo, the Rajang River andBalui areas together with the Sekapan, Kejaman and Lahanan. However, the mass migrations ofKayans, subsequently followed by the warfaringIbans into Rejang and Balui areas approximately some 200 years ago, forced the Punan communities living in these areas retreating toKakus and subsequently toKemena basin.
As of 2006, there were more than 10 Punan settlements (longhouses) found along the Rejang, Kakus, Kemena and Jelalong river. These settlements (longhouses) are:
The total Punan population is estimated to be around 3000–5000 people.
Punan speak theBah-Biau Punan language, one of thePunan languages. Although often confused withPenan, Punan is closer to the language spoken by the Sekapans and Kejamans.
Here are some phrases in Punan:
Punan traditional religion was a form ofanimist known as "Besavik". TheBrooke era saw the arrival ofChristian missionaries, bringing education and modern medicine into Sarawak. But the Punan communities remain with their traditional religion of Besavik and subsequently adopting a cult religion - Bungan brought by Jok Apui, a Kenyah from Kalimantan.[11]
However, the late 1990s showed an increase in the number of Punan converting to Christianity. This is partly due to more and more Punan becoming educated and modernised. As of 2006, almost half of Punan are now Christian, leaving only the elderly, less educated still remain observing "Bungan" religion.
The Punan have a unique burial custom. In the early days they did not bury their aristocrats orlajar. Instead they built a pole known askelirieng of 50-meter height to lay down their beloved leaders. In Sarawak it is estimated that there are fewer than 30kelirieng left standing. The Punan still practise a secondary burial ceremony, whereby the dead body is kept at their longhouses for at least 3–7 days. This is partly to give more time for far-away relatives to pay their last respects to the deceased.
There are two Punan associations in existence today:
