Kelabit and Penan in Sarawak

SARAWAK, MALAYSIA - 2012/05/23: Two Kelabit men navigate their boat through a set of rapids on a river that passes through the village of Long Napir. A new dam project supported by the Malaysian government threatens to flood Long Napir and the surrounding forest areas which have been the homeland of the Kelabit and other tribal groups like the Penan since time immemorial. The flood resulting from the dam will also destroy a delicate and unique forest ecosystem. The area where the Kelabit and Penan live has also been heavily logged, destroying millions of acres of pristine rain forest. The village is home to a community of Kelabit people who are aboriginal to the area. With a population of approximately 5,000 people, the Kelabit comprise one of the smallest ethnic groups in Sarawak. Many have migrated to urban areas over the last 20 years and it is estimated that only 1,200 still live in their remote homeland. There, tightly knit communities live in inherited longhouses and practice a generations-old form of agriculture they are cultivators of wet paddy, hill rice, maize, tapioca, pineapple, pumpkin, cucumber, beans and fruit. Hunting and fishing is also practiced.. (Photo by Yvan Cohen/LightRocket via Getty Images)