Author: beborneo

In Search of the Headhunting Tribes of Borneo Wed, Mar 17, 2010  Shrunken smoked heads of slain enemies Photo circa 1912: Charles Hose Deep in the steamy jungle of Borneo, the bold English ethnologist hacked away with his machete to make headway through the dense vegetation. The short, sharp parang was designed to be drawn quickly, the better to strike for the neck. Yet while Charles Hose no doubt carried a blade during the many days and nights he spent living among the peoples of Borneo, this fanatical observer of the cultures of the huge Southeast Asian island was also armed with a subtler colonial weapon: the camera. Hose took many a well-aimed shot, and among his focus were Borneo’s headhunters. Still, he wasn’t the only snap-happy white chappie sporting britches and taking pictures; others, like the Dutch, were at it too. Gallery inside a Kayan Dayak house with skulls and weapons lining the wall In truth, Charles Hose was armed not just with a camera but with a pen. Stationed on Borneo as the Resident Magistrate during British Imperial rule there, this intrepid investigator recorded all he saw in his book, The Pagan Tribes of Borneo, published in 1912, and this included a discourse on headhunting: “It is clear that the Ibans are the only tribe to which one can apply the epithet head-hunters with the usual connotation of the word, namely, that head-hunting is pursued as a form of sport,” write Hose, though he later states that these same people “are so passionately devoted to head-hunting that often they do not scruple to pursue it in an unsportsmanlike fashion.” Ibu Dayak warrior headhunters from Longnawan, North Borneo Before we get lost in confusion over what does and does not constitute sporting headhunting, let’s just be clear that the

Punggualas is part of the Sebangau National Park where WWF doing the research about peat land and biodiversity. The vast national park covering approximately 568,700-hectare is home to over 6,000 orangutans, forming one of the world’s largest populations in the wild. Aside from its rich biodiversity, the forest is also known for its special ecosystem: that of the black water ecosystem. This particular ecosystem was created from decomposing organic matter living in these peat swamps, resulting in the blackened water and the unique variety of organisms. Aside from being the home of huge communities of orangutans, the park is also habitat to 35 species of mammals, 116 species of Borneo typical birds, 36 species of fish, and about 166 species of flora. Amidst the peat swamp forests, the National Park also offers beautiful scenery of pristine hills. From the top of Bukit Batu or Rock Hill, one overlooks the Sebangau National Park and all its fascinating scenery. The hill is also the perfect spot for bird watching since white Herons, swallows, Green Cucaks, Keruang, Kepodang, and Bald Eagles are among some of the exotic birds that nest here on the hills. A long and challenging trek is available at Bukit Bulan or the Moon Hill. As trekkers make their way up the hill, they will be presented with refreshing trails along the Sungai Bulan, or Moon River. A unique ecosystem of peat swamp and granite rocks is observable at Bukit Kaki or Foot Hill. The granite rockz cause a dry environment, and thus the trees are different from those in the surrounding environment. In the Sebangau National park are also crystal clear, refreshing, fresh water lakes. These lakes are also habitat to various species of fish and other distinct flora and fauna, and are the best place to watch nature‘s

Overview The orangutan is the only member of the great ape family found in Asia.  All other members of the great ape family are located in Africa; chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), gorilla (Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei), and bonobo (Pan paniscus). There are two species of orangutan, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) distributed across the island of Borneo in Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak, and the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) situated on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The two species have been geographically separated for at least 8,000 years when increased sea levels isolated the two islands.  Based on scientific research investigating genetics, morphology, ecology, behaviour and life history, Sumatran and Bornean orangutans demonstrate significant differences (Delgado & van Schaik, 2000; Groves, 2001; Zhang et al., 2001). Overall physical characteristics The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) has a larger body size, and has dark or reddish brown short hair; The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) has a smaller body size, with brighter orange hair In both species, male orangutans are much larger than the females, typically two to three times heavier. Male orangutans develop large cheek pads (flanges) which develop post-sexual maturity Bornean Orangutan The Bornean orangutan is classified into 3 sub-species (Groves, 2001; Warren et al., 2001): Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus, ranging from northwest Kalimantan (including Betung Kerihun and DanauSentarum National Parks) north of the Kapuas river, across the east of Sarawak state (Malaysia) Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii, ranging from south of Kapuas river in West Kalimantan to east of the Barito river in Central Kalimantan Pongo pygmaeus morio ranging throughout Sabah and East Kalimantan south to the Mahakam river. Habitat and Behaviour Bornean orangutans inhabit lowland tropical dry-land and swamp forests up to 500 m above sea-level, occasionally ranging higher or in degraded habitats.  Orangutans are the largest arboreal animal, i.e.

Q: Where do orangutans live? Orangutans live in the forest of Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo). These are the ONLY places in the world where orangutans live. Orangutans live mainly on trees and only occasionally come down to the ground. Q: What do orangutans eat? Their main food is fruit (60%) Young leaves (25%) Flowers and bark (10%) Insects, mainly ants, termites and crickets (5%) And the occasional egg. Q: What do orangutans NOT eat? Meat and fish. They eat eggs but not birds and no other animals. Q: Are orangutans nocturnal? No, they are active during daylight and rest during the night. Q: How long can orangutans live? In the wild, their average lifespan is 45-50 years. They have been known to live longer up to 65 years in captivity. Q: What noise does an orangutan make? They “squeak” to communicate. Infants cry like a baby, and young ones scream and throw tantrums. Older orangutans make a long noise (over 1 minute) that sounds like “grumph”. It can be heard 300 metres in the forest. The adult males inflate their throat pouch and make a long call. This is a loud, pitched roaring that carries up to a kilometre in the forest. Q: How big are orangutans? An infant weighs around half a kilo at birth. Adult females grow to 1.3 metres in height and can weigh 45kg. Males can sometimes reach 1.8 metres in height and can weigh over 120kg. Q: What are the differences between male and female orangutans? Adult males are much bigger than females. As well as the size, the face changes dramatically as he gets older. He grows beard and moustache. The strongest (sexually dominant) male gets wide cheek pads and a throat pouch under his chin. Q: How many babies are born at a