Making a traditional jungle torch from Keruing tree oil

Our Orang Asal guide proudly showing off his Keruing torch

It was an amazing experience watching an Orang Asal makes a jungle torch using the resin of a Keruing tree. The Semelais may have relied on this jungle torch for hundreds of years to ensure their safety and comfort during the nights of the rainforest jungle. Watching him take his time making the torch makes me wonder how long this jungle skill will continue to be practice among his people.

With the harvested Keruing oil , Mat Kechik (our Orang Asal guide) started mixing the blackish liquid with flakes of fibers from a rotting tree. The dried wood fibers absorbs the Keruing oil, making a paste like mix.

Mat Kechik adding dried and rotting wood fibers into the Keruing oil container

Mixing the keruing oil and wood fibers together using a stick

With the mixture almost ready, the next step was to make a mold for the torch. Literally everything needed to make this jungle torch comes from the jungle. Mat Kechik, with his parang started to shape a piece of wood into the shape of a stake. Palas fronds are then used to wrap around the wooden stake, making the shape of a torch.

All Mat Kechik needed to make this jungle torch is a Parang

The Palas fronds are wrapped around the wooden stake to take it’s shape

With the Palas fronds wrapped around the wooden stake, a length of fiber from the Mengkuang (Pandanus odoratissimus), the Palas are then tied together starting from the bottom of the stake right to the top with what looks like a timber hitch to me.

Even the cordage used to tie the fronds together comes from the jungle

With the Palas mold ready, the next step was to stuff it with the Keruing-wood fiber mixture. As the mixture is pushed into the mold, the wooden stake is used to compact it. Making the torch firm and compact.

The mixture is compacted using the wooden stake used to shape the mold in the first place

What amazes me most throughout the torch making was how comfortable, calm and relax Mat Kechik was squatting on the junge floor working with his hands. I did not even see him break a sweat despite the many eyes watching over him.

Finally, peeling back the end bits of the Palas fronds, Mat Kechik took out his lighter and lit it. The mixture in the torch caught fire almost immediately. Emitting both a steady flame and smoke.

The Keruing torch caught fire almost instantly

The torch, according to Mat Kechik will burn for about 8 hours. Back in the olden days, before the arrival of cheap hurricane lanterns and kerosene, this jungle torch was his people’s main form of lighting. Simply amazing!!