Unless otherwise stated, the photographs of the Penan are all from Sarawak, one of the Malaysian states on Borneo. The frequently mentioned Indonesian state of Kalimantan is also located on the island of Borneo.
Photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the former Zaire) only contain the abbreviation DRC for “Democratic Republic of the Congo” in the English language version. For free searches in English, we therefore recommend that you use the abbreviation DRC.
For the sake of simplicity, we have consistently used the term “Penan”. Scientifically correct for this ethnic group in eastern Sarawak would be “Penan Selungo” (also called East Penan) in contrast to the “Penan Silat” (also called West Penan) in the Belaga district.
“Nomadic” way of life If we apply the term ‘nomad’ to the Penan, this is not strictly scientifically correct. Ethnologists describe the Penan way of life as a culture of “hunters and gatherers” (as opposed to ethnic groups that move around with herds of cattle).
One name often used by Bruno Manser for a certain pygmy people is the “Baefe”. Ethnological research has not yielded any clear information about this group. The term only appeared in this compilation “Bambuti-Bashwa-Baefe”, which could possibly refer to several ethnic groups in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Ituri forest. In order to retain Bruno Manser's original description, we have nevertheless used this term for the corresponding images.