Stripping terap tree bark for cordage

Terap tree fibers makes excellent jungle cordage

There are many types of natural jungle cordage available if one knows where to look. Besides the usual vines and rattan, another good source of cordage is from the Terap (Artocarpus) tree. The method of stripping the Terap tree bark for cordage is something I have heard of many times but never had the opportunity to witness in real life…that is until recently.

I wanted to see and hopefully learn how the fibers of the Terap are ‘harvested’. It is known that the fibers from this tree is very strong and is used for a wide range of puproses, including hauling gear and cordage for traps. It was during a trip to a remote Orang Asal village that I finally get the chance to see this extraordinary jungle skill.

One can identify the Terap (malay word) tree by it’s unique leaves. They are jagged, something that is refered to as stipules. While majority of the leaves demonstrates this stipules, I have also come across a single tree with two distintly different shapes of leaves. One which is has stipules characteristics and the order none! Some say its due to the maturity of the leaves…I am not sure at all.

The distinctly unique stipule leaves of the Terap tree

It was top spinning season when we met our Orang Asli guide. The cordage used to spin their tops were made from the fibers of the Terap tree. Our guide agreed to show us how they traditionally harvest the bark fibers to make cordage.

Our guide chose a piece of branch from a big Terap tree. The entire branch was chopped down. The piece of Terap wood is about 2inches at it’s biggest end.

Firstly, the ‘bigger’ end of the branch is bashed using the flat side of the parang. This seems to help loosen the bark from the inside hard wood.

Bashing the Terap branch helps to loosen the bark

Once the bark is peeled away from the inner hard wood, the next step was to further separate the bark into two. The peeled bark has an inner and hard outer side (the side that is most outside of the tree surface). Using the parang, our guide carefully slice the bark to separate the two ‘layers’.

Splitting the bark to remove the inner soft fibres

Once the two layers are separated, With one hand holding the hard outer bark and the other hand to pull the softer inner layer, our guide went on to pull the layers apart from each other. The ’soft’ but very strong inner layer of the Terap is pulled off right to the end, exposing a white supple piece of Terap fibers.

Our guide made it all looked so easy.

The full length of Terap fibers for cordage

It was a thrilling experiecnce watching our guide strip the the fibers from the Terap branch. The Orang Asal have managed to keep this jungle skill alive by practising their traditional way of life. Their yearly top spinning ’season’, whether intentionally or otherwise has forced the villagers to continue this skill of making cordage from the fibers of the Terap tree.