The calling of the gibbons
September 18th, 2009
Dawn is often not fully visible in the jungle. The Iban, a people from Papua New Guinea, call this time of the day, Empliau bebungi - the Calling of the Gibbon.
Collected from Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O’Hanlon, 1987.
Note: I’m not sure which gibbon this refers to but I supect it may be the Grey Gibbon:
Müller’s Bornean Gibbon is endemic to the island of Borneo. It inhabits the northern and eastern part of the island. In the southwest of the island the Agile Gibbon lives, and surprisingly their territories hardly overlap. They are diurnal rain forest dwellers that are characterized by the long arms that all gibbons have, with which they brachiate through the trees. The Grey Gibbon lives together in monogamous pairs, and defend their family territory against intruders with long, loud singing, which rings out above all else early in the morning. Wikipedia
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