Penans of Ba’ Medamot
A new chapter for the 80 Penans of Ba’ Medamot Borneopost -Posted on December 3, 2010, Friday MIRI: As for those who have never set foot in Ba’ Medamot in the deep interior of Baram in Sarawak, they may not be aware of the difficulties in bringing development to this remote settlement. Located on the mountain range, about 2,000 feet above sea level, Ba’Medamot has no roads or rivers that directly connect the settlement with the outside world. The only way to reach Ba’ Medamot is by walking. Thus walking for hours or even days through the thick jungle is nothing new for people like Raja @ Sabin Libat, head of the Ba’ Medamot settlement with a population of 80 Penans. “To get to the nearest logging trail, we normally walk for four hours. To Bario it takes two days and we have to put up in the jungle for the night,” he said in the little Malay that he knew to the writer who was recently in Ba’ Medamot. The writer a...