Our visit to Chuweh village was also to see first hand how the Orang Asal villagers harvest honey from the Tualang tree. On the second day there, with Sox coming along we took a boat ride to a location which is quite a distance from the village. The majestic [...]]]>

Men climbing up the Tualang tree

Our visit to Chuweh village was also to see first hand how the Orang Asal villagers harvest honey from the Tualang tree. On the second day there, with Sox coming along we took a boat ride to a location which is quite a distance from the village. The majestic Tualang tree is a sight to behold.

We arrived early at the tree as there are much preparation work to be done. The day before, there were already commotion among the hunters, what to bring, what needs to be done as well as some advice to us on what we can and cannot do. I remembered being told not to bring any strong smelling food, as it may attract the swarming bees.
Since there were a few of us, we realize that it is probably not a good idea to have everyone stay throughout the night to witness the honey harvest in pitch dark. I was keen but the risk of having been stung by hundreds (if not thousands) of bees simply does not appeal to me.  The sight of the tree itself was breathtaking enough. With its large butress tree, we all strained our necks just to catch a glimpse of the golden liquid that is up in the tree. There were at least 20 bee hives up on the tree.

This Tualang tree is big!

Meun taking picture with Sox on tow

The local Orang Asal men were kind enough for us to follow them and see how they harvest the honey. This particular tree has been with their people for generations and it is no wonder that there were existing signs of old ‘ladders’ on the tree.

The old ladder from the past season (on the right) has started to rot. The men were now building a new one

What are the tools involved? Well, 4 experienced men, a few parangs, buckets and a few kilos of nails. The rest of the material is harvested from the jungle around.

There's a few kilos of nails here

Building the ladders from scratch is probably the biggest task. For the entire day, it seems that it was the only thing to do. Wood branches are harvested from the trees nearby, they are then cut to size and notched for nailing. The wood are then hauled up the tree in bunches to the men nailing them down.

Wood are cut and preped to be nailed into the Tualang tree as ladders

The preped woods are then tied in bundles and hauled up to the tree

Upon completion, the one day ladder would make it accessible for the men to climb up to the top, close enough to harvest the bee hives. But to do this, they wait till dark and with a jungle fire torch, they set to work.

What we are after....

After spending several hours watching how the men work, it was time for some of us to head back. The following morning, we were awaken by the roar of the boats returning from the honey harvest.It was still dark, so everyone returned to their slumber. But as soon as breakfast is done, the entire village seems to be buzzing with chatters and activity. The buckets of honey collected from the previous night, complete with all its little bits and pieces needs some processing.

The freshly harvested honey being sieved to separate foreign objects...like bees!

It took the Orang Asal an entire day (24hours) to complete this task. There were buckets of honey. Surprisingly, the men got very few stings (relative to the thousands of bees up in the tree). Some to be consumed among the villagers while others to be sold to generate income for other provision. We tasted the honey, it has a bitter sweet taste to it and for the first time for many of us there, this is probably the first time ever to taste wild honey that is harvested fresh from the tree.

I always carry a minimum of 3 liters of water with me when I hit the jungle. Doesn’t matter if it is just a day trip, I drink loads. As for food, I usually buy something like nasi lemak, cake (‘kuih’) and tapau into the jungle. Other food stuff already in [...]]]>

My kind of food!

I always carry a minimum of 3 liters of water with me when I hit the jungle. Doesn’t matter if it is just a day trip, I drink loads. As for food, I usually buy something like nasi lemak, cake (‘kuih’) and tapau into the jungle. Other food stuff already in the minimum kit are a few sachets of drinks and soups.

Though I have some chlorine tablets to treat water, I wanted to start fire and use that to boil my drinking water. There were enough dry materials around (mostly above ground) to start fire. Some dry bamboos provided shavings as fire tinder.

Bamboo shavings

Started fire using lighter and some small pieces of inner tire tube. Dry wood was plenty, so had no problem keeping the fire going. I boiled water and kept at it until I filled my Nalgene 1.5L water bottle. With the hot weather, my body is loosing water through sweat and I have to drink lots.

Boiled as much water as possible while there is still light

Food was my biggest concern. I had some ‘kuih’ towards the evening and left with some pieces of bread for dinner with mushroom soup. No breakfast for following day (wasn’t planning to overnight), so I decided that perhaps exploring the stream for some food would be a good idea. Manage to catch some river prawns. Cooked them in boiling water.

The river prawns were breakfast on day 2

By day 2, the little amount of food I had throughout was starting to get to me. Worse still, friends around me were starting up their stoves to heat up the MREs and cooking instant noodles. So…with a gurgling tummy and blown ego…I caved in and shared food with my friends. Lesson learn? Bring more food next time!

Cooking food in the jungle

It was time to satisfy my curiosity with traditional blowpipes made by Orang Asal (a.k.a Orang Asli) using bamboo. As far as I know, traditional blowpipes are either made of solid wood or using a special bamboo. With a few friends, we swung by an [...]]]>

The container, all natural material that keeps the darts safe

It was time to satisfy my curiosity with traditional blowpipes made by Orang Asal (a.k.a Orang Asli) using bamboo. As far as I know, traditional blowpipes are either made of solid wood or using a special bamboo. With a few friends, we swung by an OA village in Pahang and literally begged to have a closer look at this hunting tool.

A-Jai (we were also told that almost every other guy in the village is known as A-Jai) was kind enough to let us have a closer look at his personal blowpipe. Have to admit, he was initially rather suspicious about our intentions. We told him the truth, we just wanted to have a closer look at a bamboo blowpipe.

It was a beauty. For starters, the blowpipe is seasoned, obviously well used and comes with a cool looking container that houses all the darts with the poisoned tip (see above picture).

A-Jai explained that making a blowpipe is a painstaking process. Not only does it require a special type of bamboo (Temiang or Temiar), it also needs to be straighten and harden using fire. And when the Orang Asli makes a blowpipe for actual use, they do spend time and effort making it every little bit beautiful too.

Some of the carvings made on the bamboo blowpipe

Near the mouth piece, several weaves of ’simpeh’ or ’simpai’ made of rattan decorated the blowpipe, as well as giving it extra strength and weight.

The simpais on the tip of the blowpipe give it weight for a more accurate shoot

The 'simpai' near the mouthpiece

Accompanying the long blowpipe (probably about 7 feet in length) is the curious looking container where all the poison darts are kept. I most intrigued by the look, shape and design of the cover/ lid of the container. Probably made of rattan, the lid is weaved in a special triangular cone shape. The shape is peculiar but probably made that way for a reason. Underneath the lid is where the Tukas fluff are kept. They are used as ‘compacter’, inserted into the chamber behind the dart. It acts like a back-up ’seal’ to propel the dart as far and as powerful as possible.

The fluff from Tukas plant used together with the dart

And check out how the darts are arranged and kept safely within the bambooi container. They are all arranged in single chambers of smaller diameter bamboos. What an amazing design. This way, the tip of the darts don’t knock into each other and this helps to keep the OA ’silent’ when hunting.

The bamboo chambers that store the darts

The poison used on the tip of the darts comes from the Ipoh tree. While this is a general knowledge, no one I know can actually tell me exactly how it is harvested and prepared for use. Even A-Jai was reluctant to talk about it as he fears the knowledge will be used for the wrong purposes. He reckons done right, the poison can drop a man in a matter of minutes.

The container than stores the Ipoh poison is kept out of the house where only it's owner know where it is hidden

One of the darts with poisoned tip

It takes about 2 to 3 weeks to complete a blowpipe. Ordered and purchased direct from the OA, it would probably cost around RM180 to RM300. For something so beautiful and unique, this traditional bamboo blowpipe by the OA is definitely worth the buy.

Stored on the roof of a hut on a farm in Semban are a pile of traps I have not seen before. It was my second visit to Semban village in Sarawak and local Semban guide Glen explains to me how Tilong, a trap made of [...]]]>

Glen, a local Semban explaining the use of Tilong

Stored on the roof of a hut on a farm in Semban are a pile of traps I have not seen before. It was my second visit to Semban village in Sarawak and local Semban guide Glen explains to me how Tilong, a trap made of bamboo is used for small game like jungle rats and squirrel. Best of all, this bamboo trap is a stand alone unit and lasts for a long time!

Bamboo traps like Tilong is important to villagers of Semban for two reasons. One…they help to control animals that raid farms and destroy crops. Two…they help to supplement protein, something that is rather hard to come by when one is living up in the high mountains.

The Tilong shapes like a small violin. With suitable bait securely fasten to the trigger bamboo pin inside the trap ‘hole’, numerous numbers of Tilong is placed (according to Glen, sometimes up to 20 pcs) scattered in areas around the farms.

Some of the Tilong traps that belongs to Glen

It is difficult for me to explain how the trap works, so I decided to capture Glen explaining how to set a Tilong on video. It will be posted in the next post.

If you want to read more about Semban, see the below:

• Part I- A visit to Semban, the village above the clouds
• Part II- The hanging bamboo bridges of Semban
• Part III- The long walk up to Semban
• Part IV- The waterfalls at Semban
• Part V1- The Bidayuh’s traditional cutting tools
• Part V2- The kitchen and bamboo blades of the Bidayuhs in Semban
• Part VI- Traditional bamboo smoking pipe and great food
• Part VII- Sunrise and morning walk around Semban
• Part VIII- Old tools used by the Bidayuhs in Semban
• Part IX- Ladies of the rings in Semban
• Video- The bidayuh’s hill paddy
• Video- The home made wooden pack that carries EVERTHING up Semban!
• Video- Bidayuh’s traditional furnace
• Video- Bidayuh’s traditional blades

Every wondered how jungle traps, when set are marked to warn others? There are a few Orang Asal villages I have visited that still uses traps as means to hunt game. While some traps like snares are less harmful to human beings, there are other traps that inflicts some serious injuries. [...]]]>

Spot the trap marker

Every wondered how jungle traps, when set are marked to warn others? There are a few Orang Asal villages I have visited that still uses traps as means to hunt game. While some traps like snares are less harmful to human beings, there are other traps that inflicts some serious injuries. In order to mark and warn others about the trap, some of the Semais in Perak fashions a ‘pointy marker’ to do the job.

It is important to mark the locations of animal traps for obvious reasons. In the jungle, it also serves as a reminder to the hunter where he/she has placed it. After a while walking in the jungle, one can easily miss a location. It is common when a hunter goes out to set traps, he/ she will set up numorous sets.

By using two pieces of stick, a Semai will mark the whereabouts of his/ her trap similar to how we would normally use a road sign. The only difference is that the signs used in the jungle does not have wordings on it and one would have to know the local ‘language’ to read the markers.

A marker placed by a Semai, pointing to the direction of the trap

The above is one of the many markers placed by a Semai hunter along a trail in the jungles of Perak. We initially thought it was a marker telling others the direction to follow, instead, our local guide explained that it is actually a marker telling others there is a deadly tap inside. The sharpened end of the short piece of stick tells the use of a ’stabbing’ type of trap, probably armed with a spear like tip.

I wondered what would have happened if me and Jan treaded this trail without a local guide. What would have happened if we followed the direction of the marker, following the faint trail it was pointing to. I am curious to as how ‘deadly’ this trap is. Our guide however insisted that it is not safe to go in and explore as some of the traps laid are highly concealed. Okay…we decided that perhaps getting stabbed by sharpened bamboos meant for game is the last thing we wanna get ourselves into.

Further down the trail, we came to yet another marker. Near to a small creek and clearing, this marker consists of two pieces of sharpen bamboo. One of the pieces pointing slightly upwards. It turns out that this indicates that there are two traps within the vicinity and both are deadly. One of the other traps however is located further inside, hence the slight point upwards.

This trap marker indicates that there are two deadly traps within the vicinity

Another deadly jungle trap marker along the trail

There are also markers to mark non-deadly traps. The Semais in the area normally uses green leaves  in replacement or with the bamboo arrow.

Green leaves used to mark jungle traps that are not so lethal

I have seen this sort of markers elsewhere but they are normally used to indicate travel directions. Here in Perak, some of the Semais actually uses them to mark and identify their jungle traps. This is a reminder that whenever one treads on unfamiliar jungle areas, it is best to have a local guide to walk with.

There are some really beautiful and almost undiscovered Orang Asal homes in Perak. Good friend Jan invited me for an exploration trip to a region around near Ipoh to look for a waterfall. I skipped work and went with Jan. It was all worth it. Not only did [...]]]>

Hand woven attap made of palm fronds

There are some really beautiful and almost undiscovered Orang Asal homes in Perak. Good friend Jan invited me for an exploration trip to a region around near Ipoh to look for a waterfall. I skipped work and went with Jan. It was all worth it. Not only did Jan found his waterfall, but I too was equally amazed with the beauty of the people and the jungle there.

The knowledge and skills of the Orang Asal in identifying, selecting, preparing and building the traditional homes is amazing. A dying art, these original people of the land are slowly departing from their traditional ways to embrace modern lifestyle. This village is one of the few that I have seen that still retains parts of their traditional homes.

Some of the Orang Asal homes along the way into the jungle

The jungle homes are built above ground using natural materials and can house quite a number of people. Bamboo in this village seems to be the main material used. They are used to make the walls of the huts, the flooring and some of the attap supporting beams.

After about another hour walk, following a trail lead by our local guide, we come to yet another Orang Asal village. Here, there are some abandoned huts but also nearby a bigger and what seems to be a grander jungle hut is on its way. It is a shame that I could not spend time to see it being built. Would love to document that very much.

A local told us the occupants of this hut has moved out to stay closer to the city

A new hut is being built here

Note the neat lashings used on the hut building

Rattan is commonly used for lashing

Look closely and we noticed that one of the main supporting vertical beams has a plastic tied at it’s end. Our trail guide pointed out to us that the ‘wrapping’ usually means that particular pole is the ‘Tiang Satu’ or ‘Pole No. 1′. Tiang Satu is important because it is the first pole to be erected and it symbolizes many things to the different community. And of course, it comes with a lot of do’s and dons as well. As the main structure in in progress, work is also on the way to see the completion of the natural hand wooven attap made from palm fronds.

This is probably the 'Tiang Satu'

Palm fronds being weaved to make natural attap

This particular hut being built is rather long, easily spacious enough for two families. When it is fully built, it would probably look as nice or perhaps even better than this other Orang Asal jungle home that is located just a few hundred meters away.

A beautifully built jungle hut by the Orang Asal of Perak

Some of the old tools that belong to the Bidayuh villagers in Semban are so old; they date back generations to the time of Rajah Brooke. During our visit there, we got to see traditional Bidayuh [...]]]>

The fibers from Ijok palm tree has been used as cordage for generations and is still being used today

Some of the old tools that belong to the Bidayuh villagers in Semban are so old; they date back generations to the time of Rajah Brooke. During our visit there, we got to see traditional Bidayuh sugarcane crusher, old hunting weapons, hand powered forge and even an old rifle.

I reckon I can spend a few more days just discovering the tools used by the Bidayuh in Semban. As the guides shared with me the details of each tool, I became more and more immersed in its beauty and ingenuity.

The fibers of the Ijok palm tree for example has been used for generations as cordage to bind things together. It is one of the villager’s main cordage and it can be seen holding together bridges, houses and even floorings.

Sagen holding a coil of Ijok cordage ready for use

This is the best photo I got of an Ijok palm

Next to Ijok palm, there’s of course the Terap tree where the inner barks are also used for cordage. Thought commonly used by the Orang Asal in Peninsula, the Bidayuh seems to prefer the Ijok cordage for general rough use. Nevertheless, coils of harvested Terap and its application can be seen around the village

Coils of Terap bark ready for use - Pic by Meun

The carrying straps on this basket (hung upside down from the roof) is made of Terap fibers

This rolled up mat was made primarily using Terap fibers and rattan

A visit to guide Glen’s house is probably one which is filled most with “waaaaa…” and “wow…wow…wow”. Glen and his father were very kind in showing us some of the stuff stored in their store shed. The items include a traditional rice pounder or known as ‘Lisung’ locally (to remove the husk), hunting weapons, a blow pipe and a hand powered forge.

The rice pounder has not seen much use since the rice mill machine was brought up to the village

A close-up picture

Glen holding his blowpipe

The metal piece at the tip of the blowpipe helps steady it during use

The ‘cork’ like texture of this inner palm core is used to make blow darts

Three different types of hunting spears for different game

Now, I have heard about the hand powered forge but I never imagined I would have the good fortune of seeing one at Semban village. Being a blade enthusiasts, I have always wondered how traditional forges look like. This forge belongs to Glen’s family too. Though they no longer forge their own blades (most are bought from nearby towns now), they still know how to use it. “If we have good metal, we will fire up the forge again for sure” says Glen.

I will compile a video on this soon!

We went to a few locations to look at some of the old tools. One that stood out old but probably not traditional is an old rifle. The owner believes that it dates back to the time of the White Raja (James Brooke) and the rifle has been handed down in his family for generations. The owner wasn’t sure if the riffle can still fire.

The old rifle believed to be from the Brooke’s era- Pic by Meun

There are also cool Bidayuh kitchen tools. One such tool is the sugarcane crusher or ‘Erk’tes’ as locals calls it. I reckon this tool must be important to the Bidayuh since it is needed to make the good tasting Tepui (alcoholic drink).

The wooden sugarcane crusher or ‘Erk’tes’ (in Bidayuh)

To use the sugarcane crusher, a wooden piece is inserted into the hole on the statue and sugarcane is placed in between. The wooden piece (not in the picture) is then used to crush the sugarcane, forcing the liquid out, flowing along the beak like funnel. The sugarcane juice will then be collected using a container (not in the picture). And to store Tepui, the Bidayuh uses a gourd like container so that they can be carried around.

The gourd liquid container

I would love to have more time to explore and learn more about the Bidayuhs of Semban and their life. The tools they shared with me on this visit was an eye opener. Their tools are symbols ingenuity and adaptability, something that I think is the missing ingredient in today’s society.

Other posts/ videos on Semban:

• Part I- A visit to Semban, the village above the clouds
• Part II- The hanging bamboo bridges of Semban
• Part III- The long walk up to Semban
• Part IV- The waterfalls at Semban
• Part V1- The Bidayuh’s traditional cutting tools
• Part V2- The kitchen and bamboo blades of the Bidayuhs in Semban
• Part VI- Traditional bamboo smoking pipe and great food
• Part VII- Sunrise and morning walk around Semban
• Part VIII- Old tools used by the Bidayuhs in Semban
• Part IX- Ladies of the rings in Semban
• Video- The bidayuh’s hill paddy
• Video- The home made wooden pack that carries EVERTHING up Semban!
• Video- Bidayuh’s traditional furnace
• Video- Bidayuh’s traditional blades

‘Saya pernah ajar dia orang sekali, lepas tu dia orang try buat sendiri, tak jadi!’ This was what Tok Ali said to me, referring to the attempts by some tourist guides who tried to demonstrate the use of fire pistons after just one lesson from him. Tok Ali [...]]]>

Tok Ali’s fire piston, handed through generations

‘Saya pernah ajar dia orang sekali, lepas tu dia orang try buat sendiri, tak jadi!’ This was what Tok Ali said to me, referring to the attempts by some tourist guides who tried to demonstrate the use of fire pistons after just one lesson from him. Tok Ali then came and sat with us, holding with him a plastic bag that contains his fire piston.

A local Orang Asal in Endau Rompin directed us to Tok Ali. A rustic and mysterious man, Tok Ali is both a traditional bomoh (medicine man) and a knowledgeable herbalist. As we sat in his house, we can’t help but notice the many interesting things around. There’s a blow pipe, bundles of dried tree leaves and roots, strips of tree barks hanging on the wall and a boring looking aquarium.

Surprisingly, the tinder Tok Ali used is almost identical like the one used by the Semelais. The tinder consists of fibers from a type of fishtail palm, mixed with crushed charred tapioca leaves. As he prepares the fire piston (FP) for a demonstration, we can’t help but notice that he us using wax from a candle to ‘lubricate’ the terap ‘o-ring’. Semelais uses water to swell the seals of their FPs and according to Tok Ali, he believes back then; his people may have used fish oil instead. A few seconds later, Tok Ali already got the first amber going.

The smoldering tinder on Tok Ali’s fire piston

Tok Ali knows how to make FPs but not really keen on making them. It takes too much time and work. He made the one in the picture above from a type of hard wood. I took a look at the piece and noticed that the tolerance between the piston shaft and the hole is quite big but it is still able to work. Impressive really.

There were some kids watching us. Tok Ali’s grandsons and nephews. One of them seems to be very familiar with the FP. Perhaps he is Tok Ali’s protege. He asked for the fire piston and lighted his cigarette with it. As much as we are impressed with his skill in using the FP, we are equally surprised that he is already smoking at such an age!

The boy lighting his cigarette using Tok Ali’s fire piston

To be continued…

Continue reading other parts of this adventure below: