Local Community
The local community in the FMU consists of the Iban. They speak their own language, practice distinctive social-cultural systems, traditionally live in longhouses and rely on shifting agriculture for subsistence.
The "Socio-economic profiling and agroforestry options among communities within and surrounding the Anap Muput Forest Management Unit" prepared by Envisar Sdn. Bhd. (December 2007) for Forest Department Sarawak classified the local communities into clusters in relation to ethno-history of the Iban in ASDU.
"Trans-River Migration of the Iban and the Bekatan to the Tatau River Basin in Bintulu" Yumi Kato, H Samajima, M Ichikawa (Ngingit Vol.10 pp3-11. Tun Jugah Foundation. December 2017) related the migration routes to the distribution of the Iban settlements in the Batang Anap, Sungai Muput and Ulu Mukah basins.
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1. Muput Cluster
Most of the longhouse communities are originally from Skrang and Betong areas of the Sri Aman and Betong Divisions; and some are descendants of the followers of Rentap.
The Land &Survey interpretation of the 1951 aerial photographs (zt/2715/l&s/py09) indicated that there is nearly 900 hectares of "cleared areas" surrounding the two tributaries of Sg. Muput. The constitution of Anap Protected Forest in 1958 duly excluded this area by adopting Sg. Lemai off Sg. Muput Kiba as the boundary.
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2. Malat-Ayam Cluster
Rh Marayang anak Gerina and Rh Johnny anak Mancha are located in the midsection of Batang Anap and identified themselves with the Ulu Anap/Takan cluster based on their common ancestry and migration from kanowit. The earliest dates of their settlement at the present sites would be after 1974 based on the relevant L& S aerial photographs.
Rh Marayang claimed to begin settlement from from Kanowit via Selangau in 1945 although there was no evidence of cleared area around Sungai Malat on the 1951 and 1969 L&S aerial photographs. Presently, Rh Marayang accounts for approximately 1,500 hectares of cleared area in ASDU around the Sg. Malat catchment in the original Pelugau-Muput Protected Forest (GN 1141 constituted in 1941).
Rh Johnny anak Mancha was first established on the east bank of Batang Anap at Nanga Ayam in 1979 within the very first Anap Protected Forest (GN1066 constituted in 1937). Zedtee SB was compelled to level a new settlement site on the north bank of Sungai Ayam within the FMU in 1992. It has recently relocated to its present site at Ng Beringit, Batang Anap within the LPF/0019 area.
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3. Takan Cluster
The Ibans of Takan are originally from the Julau and Kanowit areas. The first group settled at Nanga Takan as Rh. Mat (presently Rh. Entrie) in 1964. The populace was moved to Skuau Resettlement Scheme in Sibu under the Rajang Area Security Command (RASCOM) in early 1970s during which the longhouse was torched and Anap river poisoned to kill fish to deplete the food supply for the communists. The group moved back to Takan area after a court case in 1974.
Members of Rh. Mat separated in the early 1980s into four settlements with Rh Mawang anak Mat, Rh Bilong anak Entalang and Rh Gasah anak Sumbang inside the FMU. In 1985, Rh. Gasah anak Sumbang divided into Rh. Gasah which remained within Anap PF and Rh Sayong anak Murapaion opposite bank on the Stateland. The District Officer of Tatau advised on 01st November 2010 that both Rh. Gasah anak Sumbang and Rh. Sayong anak Murapi are not recognised as official settlements.
Rh Bilong anak Entalang relocated to the Anap Belawit Management Area of LPF/0039 in 2013 and the original site was named as Rh Philip anak Ngelambai.
Rh Mawang was completely destroyed by fire in January 2018. The Director of Forests approved its relocation to Anap Belawit Management Area within LPF/0039 subject to the evacuation of all households from the Anap PF. Zedtee SB contributed to the construction of a 24-door longhouse site was meant to facilitate the evacuation of the settlement from Anap PF. The new Rh Mawang with good road accessibility is due for completion and occupation within 2022 after delays wrought by Covid-19. Attempts by some households of the original Rh Mawang to remain within Anap PF and rebuild the settlement as Rh Andrew anak Jara shall be subject to approval by the competent authority.
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4. Mukah Cluster
The Mukah Ibans are originally from Kanowit who moved to their present sites along Batang Mukah near Selangau on the Pan Borneo Highway by displacing the Pekatan in the early parts of 1900s. The L&S aerial photo indicated that there was no clearing within AMFMU at ulu Mukah as at 1969. “Joint Operations Graphic” complied by Ordnance Survey of Ministry of Defence UK documented that there were only two small clearings along ulu Mukah approx. 8km upriver from Rumah Rajang within the present T/3669 area in 1973. Rh Madang was the nearest settlement to AMFMU at 4km downstream of its boundary. It among others in ulu Mukah received “pelasi menoa” from Zedtee SB in 1989. By 1994, ITTO estimated that the shifting agriculture at ulu Mukah within AMFMU was approx. 1,400 ha from the interpretation of TM satellite imagery.
Rh Madang and Rh Rasin were credited with the original clearing. Presently, seven settlements at Selangau are recognized as ASDU members for their association with the shifting agriculture created within Mukah Hills Protected Forest under AMFMU.
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Land use within ASDU
The first documented land use in ASDU was recorded by an aerial photograph taken for the Land & Survey Department in 1951. The cleared area indicated along Sungai Muput kanan-Sungai Muput Kiba-Sungai Lemai was probably the reason for the excision of the "Muput Lemai State land" from the Anap Protected Forest. It had since been demarcated for perimeter survey of Native Customary land under Section 6 of the Land Code.
The advent of logging in the late 1970s attracted riverine communities around Sungai Muput and Batang Anap to temporarily settled and farmed land within the Anap PF. BY 1990s the unauthorised settlements and land use within the Anap PF and Mukah Hills PF had grown to 5,545 ha. Forest cleared for Shifting agriculture within AMFMU had since stabilised at approximately 3,200 ha.