Cornell University Library Digital Collections
Utan Nyakan, the late grandmother of Garen Jengan
- Title (English):
- Utan Nyakan, the late grandmother of Garen Jengan
- Collection:
- Perema: Digital Museum of Penan Culture
- Set:
- Penan Cultural Digital Museum
The Penan people along the Baram
- Photographer:
- Morrison, Hedda
- Creation Date:
- 1955-1965
- Location:
- Sarawak, Malaysia
- ID Number:
- RMM04516_b15_v01_094
- Collection Number:
- 4516
- File Name:
- RMM04516_b15_v01_094.jpg
- Work Type:
- photographs
- Materials/Techniques:
- black-and-white photographs
- Subject:
- Penan woman
Eastern Penan
Long Kerong
portrait
- Description:
- The woman pictured in the photograph is named Utan Nyakan and is Research Liaison Garen Jengan's late grandmother (on his father's side). She passed away in the late 1960s-1970s in Long Kerong at the transition between the nomadic and settlement periods (at which point around 90% of the Penan remained nomads). Her hair is of particular note as it was parted in the middle and suggests that she was shy to show her whole face.
Person/people pictured from the Eastern Penan indigenous group.
- Notes:
- Garen describes his grandmother as "very kind," as she would carry one to two children through the forest. She is remembered for saying "if someone is hungry, feed them, maybe today you have something, maybe tomorrow he has it all, that's why sharing is best," and "today you have something, tomorrow you don't know." As the only smoker in her family, she quit smoking when she converted to Christianity. Utan taught her grandchildren to make handicrafts. They recall travelling with her to obtain rattan to make Penan umbrellas (summik).
- Source:
- Image source: 'The Penan people along the Baram' photobook by Hedda Morrison.
Metadata source: Garen Jengan (grandson of the woman pictured), Kase Jengan, Taeng Jengan and the Penan community of Long Lamai.
- Cite As:
- Hedda Morrison photographs, #4516. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
- Related Work:
- An alternate printing of this image in "Penans of Sarawak" is available as an "additional view".
- Repository:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
- Archival Collection:
- Hedda Morrison photographs
- Box:
- 15
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- Cornell University holds the copyright to this item and provides access to this item for research and personal use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Inquiries regarding reproductions of and/or permissions to use this item may be sent to rareref@cornell.edu.
