PEOPLE . PLACES

Blowguns Vs Bulldozers - The Last Nomads of the Sarawak

45' (GER, ENG subs)

The Penan are one of the last primitive tribes on earth. They have established their home in the rainforests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo, but their way of life is threatened.

130 million years old, the primeval forest of Sarawak in the Malaysian part of Borneo is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. In modern day, due to clear-cutting, the rainforest has shrunk by 90%. Despite this, there are still 40 tribes and ethnic groups living there, including the primitive people of the Penan tribe. They call Tong Tana their home, which means both forest and world at the same time. But this world of theirs is currently on the verge of extinction.

Huge palm oil plantations are expanding further and further into the jungle and destroying the rainforests in the process. We accompany three Penan tribes who have been living in the rainforests and witness the different ways they cope with their changing lives. Peng Megut is one of the last forest nomads who still roams the forests with a blowgun. His Uncle, Selai Sega, was compelled by a stroke of fate to settle down here and raise a small band of stubborn nomads who have successfully resisted the threat of palm oil plantations that have trespassed on their beloved land.