The Punan is reported to be a tribe of woodland dwellers that engage in hunting and gathering for a living. The Punan Kelay is recognized to be a tribe that has settled in a dispersed manner. Punan Kelay relies on the natural resources in the forest to meet their needs. Hoffman (1983) said that not a single Punan group is free from the influence of outside economic forces. The Punan Kelay and the Dayak people have historically maintained close commercial ties, contributing to their mutually reliant way of life. Following this chain, the Punan people eventually became nomadic people who became providers of forest goods to the Dayak people or other merchants. The capacities of the Punan people are used in this trade network because of "Knowledge of forest specialists" (Spielmann and Eder, 1994).
Punan Kelay is a community that has undergone several transitions since its existence is tied to the environment in the forest (Sercombe and Sellato, 2007). According to Kaskija (2012), the Punan have what is referred to as an "opportunity structure," which is determined by the level of acceptance and experience of each Punan regarding the changes they are experiencing. This structure depends on how the Punan view and react to the changes they are experiencing. Because of this, Punan Kelay can adjust to any changes that may occur swiftly. Even with these changes, the Punan Kelay people in Kampung Long Sep, East Kalimantan continue to identify as a hunting community. This is something that is regarded as a fresh new opportunity. In this paper, we will explain how the Punan preserves their hunting expertise and combine it with other aspects to form a strong identity as forest specialists. This information relates to how they hunt, conceptualize their territory, and connect to others.
