Borneo Death Blow - Full Documentary

The Penan light fires without lighters, using a firestone struck with a knife and moss. They illuminate their huts with plant candles made from vine pods. Tyon crafts versatile Penan forks called Atip. Raphael then visits a displaced Penan community, gifting them Bruno Manser's book. Villagers prepare blowpipes crafted from ironwood, a lengthy process involving hand-drilling. These blowpipes are precise up to forty meters. The Penan combine modern outfits with traditional gear like rattan bracelets and wild boar tusks. The government has neglected these communities, hoping they'll migrate to cities.

Sarawak boasts impressive natural wonders, including a massive cave housing millions of bats that emerge nightly to hunt, forming swarms to confuse predators. In the Penan camp, families gather to watch a Kung Fu movie. The next morning, children, including Lia, Asik, Yung, and Jokim, prepare for hunting. They use a thorny palm's soft heart for their darts' fletching. Due to deforestation, wild fruit and boars are scarce, forcing them to hunt smaller prey like birds and pygmy squirrels with their poisoned darts. Yung finds a plant used as hair gel, and stingless bees drink from their skin. Giant wild bees swarm on tall trees. The Penan use a distinctive tongue clicking sound to express surprise and approval. Raphael leaves the Penan, reflecting on their kindness, generosity, and courage. He emphasizes the importance of preserving their ingenuity, knowledge of plants, and understanding of nature, fearing that if their traditional way of life disappears, humanity will lose valuable secrets when the world eventually recognizes the wealth of nature.

The video introduces the Penan, a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe in Borneo known for their survival skills and deadly blowpipe poison. Raphael Treza begins his three-month journey to live with them, starting in Kuala Lumpur and flying to Borneo. From the air, the devastating impact of the palm oil industry and logging on Borneo's rainforests is visible. Sarawak, a Malaysian state, has experienced massive deforestation, with much of its primary rainforest destroyed and replaced by plantations. Less than 10% of Sarawak's primary rainforest remains, threatening its diverse ecosystem and endangered species like orangutans.

The Penan, a peaceful tribe, were unable to defend against powerful logging companies supported by the government. Many who protested were arrested or tortured, and most were forced into cities, losing their traditional knowledge. Only a few families maintain their traditional lifestyle, living part-time in camps. Bala, a semi-nomadic Penan, demonstrates how he prepares Tajem, a deadly poison from the Antiaris Toxicaria tree sap, for his blowpipe darts. The Penan refine this sap to make it even more potent, fatal in minutes. They trade resin, animal skins, and handicrafts for iron.

The Penan make their poison more powerful by combining several plant ingredients. Richard, a sedentary Penan who works in a national park, practices traditional blowpipe hunting with his cousin. They hunt for wild boar, which is becoming increasingly rare due to human activities. Blowpipe hunting requires stealth and patience. They also forage for bamboo shoots and fish in clear river waters using spear-guns, a stark contrast to areas affected by logging pollution. Some Penan families, still living semi-nomadically, are met by Raphael with the guidance of Langub, another sedentary Penan.

Raphael arrives at a camp built for meetings between nomadic and settled Penan. Saya lives here with his family for part of the year. Their meals consist of rice, turtle, and tapioca flour called Naon. Saya and his children demonstrate harvesting sago palm for food, taking care not to damage the roots. They also collect Jakah moss for starting fires. Saya shows Oroo, the Penan's branch-based communication system, which always begins with their motto, "Jah Kenin" - "We have the same heart."

Some Penan in reserved areas have jobs in national parks and retain hunting rights. Government efforts to build hospitals often neglect the Penan forced into remote villages. Penan families share longhouses, and their traditional rattan crafts are being replaced by plastic. Once animist, most Penan have been Christianized. Nyapun, an elder chief, shares his experience of forced settlement and traditional practices like gathering fern shoots and tapioca leaves. He always carries a weapon, a blowpipe with a spear, for self-defense against wild animals. His second wife plays a nose flute.

Raphael travels to a remote Penan camp via dangerous logging roads. The Penan's shyness makes adapting to outside life challenging, leading to depression among elders who struggle with their lost nomadic lifestyle. Bala demonstrates making barkcloth from a Beripun tree. The Penan have extensive knowledge of plants, including medicinal ones like a plant used to treat snake bites. This plant famously saved Swiss ethnologist Bruno Manser, who lived with the Penan and rallied them against loggers before his disappearance. Another powerful medicinal plant is Kratom, used for addiction, fever, stress, and anxiety.

Raphael travels to meet the Iban, known as headhunters, in southern Sarawak. The Iban, also called Lakya ("the strong men"), historically practiced headhunting and some families still keep skulls as trophies. Unlike the Penan, they use guns for hunting. Although headhunting ceased long ago, the Iban are still remembered as fierce warriors. They are famous for their tattoos, which represent significant life events. Back at Saya's camp, the family prepares for a jungle trip, with Saya's daughter petting their monkey, used as a guard. They efficiently build a rainproof camp in under an hour, choosing an uphill spot away from mosquitoes.