ML236293

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This overnight soundscape was recorded by Ben Mirin with members of the Penan community in Long Lamai, Sarawak, Malaysia. The team consisted of Garen Jengan (of Long Lamai), Penan anthropologist Franklin George, and Cornell students Matthew Millward and Anna Canny. Having remained nomadic until 1957, the Penan carry survival in their genes, and many still remember living nomadically as children. In making this recording together, we listened to the jungle’s heartbeat, documenting hornbills, barbets, cicadas and tree frogs as the day passed into night. While we listened, Garen—who is a village elder—narrated, telling us the time based on the changing composition of sounds. He explained that nomadic peoples often had to rely on the sounds of the jungle to keep track of their day and anticipate the onset of darkness so they could make camp. My colleague Franklin and I checked his time-keeping: he was accurate within 10 minutes. It is very humbling to conduct scientific work with an indigenous community, and have them respond with enthusiasm and wisdom. The Penan of Long Lamai have repeatedly said this was the first time they had learned how to study nature through sound, but I would argue that they already do this through the deep cultural ties they keep with their environment. As their community develops, maintaining these ties is becoming increasingly complex. By capturing this audio and sharing it, we hope our soundscape can reinvigorate Penan cultural traditions in the next generation and encourage more people to listen to nature. Elevation: 980 meters Habitat: Mix of primary and secondary forest Decoded MS stereo. Start time: 17:33. Duration: 13h54m.

Especies adicionales

• Red-naped Trogon Harpactes kasumba
• Black-eared Barbet Psilopogon duvaucelii
• Rufous Woodpecker Micropternus brachyurus
• Moustached Babbler Malacopteron magnirostre
• White-necked Babbler Stachyris leucotis
• Sunda Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus bornensis
• Gold-whiskered Barbet Psilopogon chrysopogon
• Great Argus Argusianus argus
• Katydids Tettigoniidae
• Typical Cicadas Cicadidae