The Punan Busang is one of the smallest and remotest communities in Sarawak. A tiny community tucked away at Long Lidam in Ulu Belaga, itís struggling to survive. Henry Chan, 35, who has a Masters of Philosophy in Anthropology, wrote his thesis on this fringe group comprising 90 people from 15 families. Modernisation has dealt them a great blow.

In an interview with the Borneo Post, Chan who spent three years in research, said that with the recent encroachment of logging activities into their area the lifestyle of the Busang (the Busang refer to themselves as Vuhang) has been disrupted. Chan, the first Sarawakian awarded the Asian Public Intellectual (API) Fellowship of the Nippon Foundation recently, said that the Busang were nomadic foragers in the Upper Danum-Melinau-Bahau region. In 1969, Kayan trader Taman Bulan persuaded them to cultivate hill paddy.

Since then the Busang have been held in high regard by their Kayan counterparts because they are experts in the art of making the finest rattan products. "Their reputation is so great that the Kayan have composed poems in their honour. How long the Busang will remain as experts in the jungle is left to be seen. "No doubt their numbers have doubled since 35 years ago, but the effects of modern living particularly the logging industry which has disturbed their hunting ground and water resources will not only make their life all the more difficult but also disrupt their cultural activities,' said the University of Malaya graduate.