The Punans used to hunt the rhinoceros and trade with the Dajaks and then the Chinese. When the first rifles reached the interior of Borneo, the Dajaks no longer needed the Punans to hunt the rhinoceros: they could shoot them themselves. In a few years, the rhinoceros was exterminated almost completely from the forests of Borneo.
Punans in Borneo. One of the Punans told me that they were unequalled in the hunt of the rhinoceros. When hunting, they were accompanied by a group of dogs. When these had seen a rhinoceros, they would not let go until it was killed. They would follow the animal for months in the forest. They knew the paths well which the animal would follow, so sometimes they could cut off the road in front of the animal a few days in advance. Then they would lie in wait and kill it with a spear, which requires much skill. Such a day was a feast in camp. Not only almost everything of the rhinoceros is eaten, but it is also a valuable article for barter.
The Punans often remember the time when game was more plentiful. They call it `the time of the rhinoceros.' One of them told proudly that he killed 13 of them when he was young.
Punans in Borneo. One of the Punans told me that they were unequalled in the hunt of the rhinoceros. Not only almost everything of the rhinoceros is eaten, but it is also a valuable article for barter.
Borneo. The Chinese use the rhinoceros as medicine, including its tail, hoofs, blood, horn and even the dung.
