“Like Early Mist...”: Five Songs of the Punan Urun.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
“Like Early Mist...”: Five Songs of the Punan Urun. |
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Author :
Carol Rubenstein |
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Abstract:
During 1985-86 I completed eight months of research in Sarawak, one month among semi-settled Penan near the Long Urun Primary School on the Belaga river above Belaga. At that time it was only the second school in Sarawak mostly for Penan children, many of whom were older than as normally scheduled. My aim was to collect and translate songs and to consider the place of song in their lives. The title derives from one of the Penan songs, the line: “Like white early morning mist lifting away/all the herds of wild boar have vanished.” On 31 August 1985, following the three-day festivities of the Belaga regatta, I left Belaga. The longboat, carrying myself. Hawing Yah, Headmaster of the Long Umn Primary School, three Kayan porters and boat crew and much school equipment, proceeded in early morning rain up the Belaga river. Two teachers had gone on ahead. About 45 minutes later we arrived at the large rocks and rapids of Giam Pasang. From there we followed a trail near the river for about two hours to Pasang Pading, the porters under huge loads. Then we met with another longboat and some crew, continuing by river for an hour, occasionally pulling the boat and walking. At Kaki Urik we disembarked and climbed the steep incline to reach the road cut by KTS (Kastima Timber Sdn.). This took between 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon load and experience.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Carol Rubenstein. (1990). “Like Early Mist...”: Five Songs of the Punan Urun. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XLI (62): 151-475 |
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References
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