» Orang Asal Malaysia

A video on Bakok trap made of rattan

Keong — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:27:48 +0000

Finally, we finished a video and manage to upload it onto Youtube some weeks back. This is a video of the Bakok trap which were demonstrated to us by the Jahai of Kampung Chuweh in Temenggor Lake, Perak.

Bakok…the rattan trap of the Jahais

Keong — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:27:02 +0000

Mr Lan demonstrating the Bakok trap made of rattan

Bakok (Jahai language) is a jungle trap made of rattan used by the Jahai people. I chance upon this trap while visiting an Orang Asal village in Perak. Curious, I got one of the villagers Mr Lan to explain to me how it works. This intricate looking trap is used on small to large game, from squirrel to larger monkeys even.

Most Orang Asal uses trap to catch animals for their own consumption. This particular trap is designed for squirrels. According to Mr Lan, larger sized Bakok is made (same design) to catch larger animals.

The size of the Bakok trap at the village

What amazed me was the amount of detail that goes into making this trap. Rattan used was shaped carefully and finer rattan cordage was used to hold parts of it together. Like most traps, this trap is placed on a ‘moving’ path of an animal. In this case, this particular trap is meant for small animals like squirrel. So, Lan decided to show me how the trap works.

Using a piece of wood to simulate a tree branch that a squirrel uses to ‘walk’ on, the trap is set by tying it vertically to the wood

The trap being tied to the piece of 'animal path'

A natural branch or one that is cut and placed nearby is used as a ’spring’. Cordage is then tied to the ’stressed’ spring. From the end of the spring, there will be two working ends of the cordage, one functions as a noose while the other to hold the trigger and ’stress’ from the spring.

Both ends of the cordage being used on the trap

The trigger is then set-up to the trap’s own trigger mechanism, which consists of a fine cordage (in this case fishing line was used). The set-up is as shown in picture below:

The Bakok trap mechanism

When the animal moves along, it will squeeze through the trap, triggering the fine cordage (because it is in the middle of the ‘trap’ and cannot be avoided). This will result in the ‘release’ of the other ’stressed’ trigger piece. The pull from the spring’ will tighten the cordage, choking the animal as it is being pulled upwards of the trap.

The triggered Bakok trap.

According to Lan, for larger animals, the trap user will make a bigger sized trap (of the same shape) and set it up the same way except this time, they use leafs to ‘block’
the sides of the ‘path’. This will then force the animal to squeeze through the trap, triggering the mechanism.

Leafs being used to 'camouflage and 'force' the animal to walk through it

With larger animals, this trap usually catches on to the hand or head of the animal. Will post a video on how this rattan trap is used soon.

Other traditional traps on this blog:

Ekop
Tilong

A visit to the Orang Asal village in Temenggor, Perak

Keong — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:14:54 +0000

One of the villager's kids checking me out

I had the good fortune of accompanying a group to an Orang Asal (a.k.a Orang Asli) village called Kampung Chuweh in Temenggor lake in the state of Perak. This is probably my forth visit to the lake but this is the first time I will be staying overnight with the Orang Asal (indigenous people) here. The last time I came, we paddled a great distance on our kayaks but oblivious to the fact that this village was so near by to one of our stops.

It took more than 5 hours by bus to get to Pulau Banding from Kuala Lumpur by bus. The jetty at Pulau Banding was one of the main access to the entire Temenggor lake.

The bridge that connects Grik with Banding Island and the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia

With a few good minutes to stretch our legs and down some food at the jetty, we donned our orange life jackets and hopped onto the small fiber glass boats manned by the OA from the village. The boats were not fast and it too us 1 hour (or so) ride with an amazingly scenic view along the way.

Lake Temenggor is scenic and extremely peaceful

The Chuweh village propped on the top of a small hill which turns out to be ab island on its own

Well, except for an newly installed but not operational power generator, the entire Chuweh village seems as authentic as I would have imagined it. The children broke the silence of the village with their giggles and shouts playing self ‘thought up’ games and tricks. Some women tended to the kids while the men were mostly out working at the nearby shops or catching fish.

The houses at Chuweh is mostly made of bamboo and other jungle sourced materials. Below are some pictures of the houses, huts and gathering hall in the village.

One of the houses where a family of Orang Asal resides in

The lower section of the house is where the kitchen normally is

The bamboo kitchen top decorated with more modern facilities

Bamboo obviously is the main building material. Most of the bamboo is actually sourced from the nearby jungle and not from the island where the village is located. Upon harvesting, the bamboo are then transported, often times bundled up together and towed by boat back to the village.

Bamboo rafts are the villager's washing area in the early morning for kitchen utensils as well as clothing

The Chuweh village in Lake Temenggor is currently a popular place among visitors to the area. Scores of tourists flock the village with cameras almost everyday from the nearby resorts to catch a glimpse of this Jahai tribe. Sadly, the village gains very little from such ‘visits’, except for the small packets of junk food and candies brought by the tour operator to ’sweeten’ the visits. I am encouraged to see however the group that I am accompanying is actually staying in the village itself, contributing economically directly to the locals, empowering them with jobs to shelter, boat and guide us around. At the end of the day, we made new friends and at the same time placed some dollars into the pockets of the local villagers.

A day out in the jungle with Sox near Kuala Lumpur

Keong — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:19:54 +0000

Meun and Sox walking pass the bundles of cut bamboo

Its been a while since Sox went out with us on a jungle walk. So, with a free weekend around the corner, we decided to bring her out to a patch of jungle not far from Kuala Lumpur. We headed for one of our favorite trails, pushing off from our home as early as 7am. It was a nice day indeed, though we know the leeches will be waiting for us as it has been raining the day before.

With the car parked, we started to head for the trail. On the first hill, we came across several bundles of green, freshly chopped bamboo. As we were looking around, a couple of Orang Asli came to claim their ‘grass’. Seems that they are to be sold to buyers for making ‘lemang’. It was quite a distance to the car park but the Orang Asli lady seems to be at home hauling them bamboos down. The bamboos by the way are tied together with jungle vines.

The bamboos were bundled and tied together with jungle vines

The Orang Asli lady hauling away the bundled bamboos

A few meters away from the bamboo stasg, I spotted what looked like wild chestnuts or Berangan (in Malay). A check with the Orang Asli says that the ripe ones can be eaten. Obviously, the shells and some of the fruits are littered all over the place. Some animals up in the tree must be enjoying them and tossing down the leftovers. Naturally, I collected some ripe ones while the rest I pocketed just to have a closer look at them later at home.

The wild chestnuts we found littered all over the trail

It was a good day. It was cloudy, hence not too hot. We came to the small stream and Sox as usual gets overly excited. She went straight for the water, being very impatient about getting in. It did not take much convincing to get her to wade across the river onto the other side.

Sox checking out the river

Surprisingly, Sox waded through the river confidently

Along the trail, we spotted a Keladi Murai or Tacca integriffolia.

Keladi Murai

Sox coming for her food

Scouting around the area, I found some Bertam fronds. Decided to try my luck fishing. Put on a simple rig on the Bertam frond and using earth worms I dug nearby, I went out to the water edge. I used a really small hook from my minimum kit. Always carry them with me.

The bertam frond I found nearby

A line, small sinker, small hook and a rubber band

Well, there was certainly plenty of interest from the fish in the river. But I only managed to land some really small fishes. Probably suitable only for bait. I returned them into the water of course.

Manage to catch several of these (really) small fishes

Meun was busy attending to Sox. She brought Sox for a walk around the area while I fished. But it did not last long our stay there cause Sox is like a 5 year old curious about every single moving thing. Some ducks came close to us and that really got her excited. We had to restrain her, otherwise she would have probably gone after them duckies.

After an hour of fishing and relaxing, we decided that it was time to go. We walked back and after changing into some fresh clothes, set for home. We spend about 5 hours walking with Sox in the bush this time around and not long after we started driving home, Sox was already curled up at the back seat.

Sox had an exciting but tiring day obviously

Jungle trap markers by Orang Asal in Perak

Keong — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:45:54 +0000

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.

Beautiful Orang Asal homes in Perak

Keong — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:51:57 +0000

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

Rice harvest feast with the Semelais; Part I

Keong — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:37:41 +0000

One of the Semelai women cooking up a dish for the kenduri

This is my first ever rice harvest feast (kenduri) experience. Good friend Pak Abu told me about an invitation by a Semelai we mutually know to attend his kenduri to celebrate the good harvest of his hill rice. Besides good makan, we also had the good fortune of seeing and learning new things this time around.

Semelai is one of the 18 indigenous ethnic groups in Malaysia

Semelai is one of the 18 aboriginal ethnic groups in Malaysia. I have to say that I am very fortunate to have gotten to know these wonderful people. Having lived around the Lake Bera are for more than 600 years, there is definitely much to learn about them and the area they live in.

We arrived at the kenduri place spot on 11am as planned. The kitchen area was already buzzing with people preparing food. There was a sense of joy happiness among the people present. Adults and children alike were busy preparing food. We only realize the magnitude of the kenduri when we saw the amount of food prepared.

A total of 26 chickens have been slaughtered for this feast

Buckets of catfish to be fried...yum

Buckets of potatoes, cabbages and other types of vegetables ready for cooking

All these food and makan is to celebrate the good harvest of hill rice by one of the villagers. This year, the rice field has produced a good harvest and today we will all be eating ‘new’ rice.

The cooked hill rice in the white box while the uncooked grains in the woven basket

A close-up of the uncooked grains of rice

There were of course some local dishes from the lake. Cooking was done by both women and men over open fire. I can never understand how they can manage such big woks.

Bulk cooking like this is a big challenge but it brings people together

The stove stand is fashioned from an old motorcycle tire rim welded to tripods

So, what did we have? We had freshly harvested Semelai hill rice, catfish, chicken curry, vegetables, fried chicken and some traditional dishes I’d rather not ask the host! Anyway, they all tasted really good. I like the glutinous rice especially. The way it is prepared made it not too sweet yet the flavor of the rice is enhanced.

Some of the dish spreads

Semelai’s own glutinous rice

Everyone took turn to eat. We were considered ‘guests’, so we ate first with the elders. Outside, the villagers were also enjoying their food while singing local rhymes and poking jokes at each other. The entire atmosphere was joyful and merry. There were constant chattering, laughter and passing around of plates, bowls and trays of food. Everybody ate, drank and enjoyed themselves. As for myself, I am astounded experiencing such kinship among the people. I guess this is what a true ‘kampong’ life is like.

A Semelai young girl eating on her own on the raised platform

Semelais preparing Pinangs for chewing

Our trip to the Semelai village for a kenduri did not end there. In fact, we had the good fortune to discovering something new as well. This is just the first part of a good experience with a traditional kampung feast.

Bidayuh women in Semban still wearing copper rings! ; Part IX

Keong — Sat, 08 May 2010 02:45:27 +0000

A coil of copper ring belonging to Sagen’s late grandmother- pic by Meun

I didn’t know that Bidayuh women wore copper rings on their arms and legs as a sign or beauty and status until I saw it for myself in Semban. Our guide Danny did mention it but I never thought much of the rings back then. Now that I have seen them myself, I have to agree that they are most beautiful and in its own way very majestic. The sad thing is that there are only 7 of the women left who are still wearing the rings.

I am not all that sure if the rings are made of copper or brass. But an old newspaper cutting in Sagen’s house stated that the rings were actually made of yellow copper. Called Rasung and Ruyang where believed to be obtained from foreign traders 100 years ago and wearers back then are considered to be ‘somebody’.

Rasung worn on the calves and Ruyang on the arm

Seems that there are only 7 Bidayuh elder women left in Semban village who are still wearing the copper rings. Many years ago, according to Sagen (local Semban guide), many women would still be wearing them but slowly things changed and many of the younger generations prefer bracelets and anklets. Things didn’t look promising for the tradition of wearing the rings when even school teachers begin to ban students from wearing them.

Wearing the rings is more of a personal choice. While the signify beauty and status, the wearer is subjected to physical pain, often having to grow up with atrophied limbs.

It is clear that the rings do inflict pain and the risks of atrophied limbs are very real

The Bidayuh women in the picture above came to meet us in their finest. They seem very proud of the rings they are wearing and their clothes have been beautifully decorated with beads of all kind. One thing I also notice is that they go everywhere with their chewing kit, known as ’Lonok’.

They come in their finest to meet us…what an honor

The Bidayuh ladies always have their chewing kit or ‘Lonok’ with them

A close-up of ‘Lonok’ chewing kit…would love to see how they make them

We were told that several months ago, there used to be more women in Semban village that are still wearing the copper rings. 2 of them passed away and the remaining 7 would be the last surviving ‘real’ wearers of the rings. For someone to wear those rings since the age of 12, and still did everything anyone else did (they still work on their farms even with the rings on!), I would say that these women are really a respectable lot. As the lure of big cities and the prospect of an easier life vacuums away the younger generation from the village, the practice of wearing copper Rasung and Ruyang will soon be a thing of the past. A sad end to such beauty and charm of the Bidayuh’s in Semban.

Meun and I with the Bidayuh women

Hill rice, blow pipe and traditional fire starter of the Semais in Kampung Kenip; Final part

Keong — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:38:40 +0000

‘No nails’ step ladder into the villager’s hut

We were ready to head back when some of the Kenip villagers asked us to join them for lunch. This ‘detour’ gave me a firsthand experience with the Semai’s hill rice, blow pipe and traditional fire starter.

It is impolite to decline so we made our way to the hut. Already, the hut was buzzing with activity. I took small, careful steps climbing up the stairs. The last thing I wanna do is to break parts of the hut.

Inside the hut, we were followed with curious eyes. We took pictures of them and shared it with them, a sure way to put smiles on their faces. The stale rather vacuum stage suddenly came to life with laughter and giggles all around.

Semai children enjoying pictures- pic by Jan

As the atmosphere warmed up, we were handed a plate of cooked hill rice. The rice tastes a bit sweeter than the normal rice I am used to but I like it. I can get used to this I told myself. On one side of the house, I noticed sacks of unprocessed hill padi. I can imagine that it is really hard work to plant, harvest and process the padi.

My first taste of Semai hill rice

Sacks of unhusked hill rice waiting to be processed

As we were enjoying the rice and the company of the Semai children, Pak Dollah stood and reached out to the shelves in the hut for what looks like a long piece of wood. Turns out it is the hut owner’s blowpipe. This is a genuine Semai blowpipe, still in use for hunting. It was more than a hunting tool to me. It is a work of art! The entire length of the blowpipe is at least 3m. It is made from Temian bamboo and has intricate carvings on it. What a wonderful piece of art!

The carvings on the blowpipe

The hole in the mouthpiece is covered to prevent insects like spiders from entering

The joint of two pieces of Temiang bamboo

Pak Dollah then dismantled the blowpipe into two. He removed the smaller diameter piece from the ‘outer’ shell. The outer larger diameter Temiang bamboo gives the inner piece (where the dart actually travels in) more rigidity and protection.

The inner piece of blowpipe and the outer one

I also noticed a blowpipe dart container hanging on the wall of the hut

I was even more curious now. I wonder how much of their traditional knowledge and skill still remains. So, I asked one of the men in the hut if he knows how his people started fire before the introduction of matches and lighters.

“Tak tahu la…ada peninggalan datuk tapi saya tak tau guna”- “I don’t know but I have something that has been passed down to me but I have not used it before”. Soon, he took out two pieces of object from a bag. Turns out it’s a piece of metal and a piece of rock, possibly river rock. He showed us how the two pieces are held. I guess it is the percussion method, striking the two pieces together to produce sparks that will then be caught in some sort of tinder which will eventually grow to a fire.

The two pieces, one metal and one stone to start a fire, possible?

This is how it is done

It a shame we did not have the tinder, otherwise we would be able to try striking the two pieces together. Something of a heirloom, I sincerely hope he will not sell or trade the two pieces together. He said he will try to get it going again and when he is successful, he will send word for me. Now THAT is a good reason to come back.

Continue reading previous parts…

Part I – A visit to Semai’s village at Pos Betau

Part II – The remote Kampung Kenip

Part III – The walk to Kenip Falls

Part IV – The waterfalls at Kenip

Kampung Kenip in Pahang; a remote Semai village (Part II)

Keong — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:20:35 +0000

One of the Semai’s hut at Kampung Kenip

We were on our way to visit the Kenip waterfalls and according to our guide Rahim, our cars will only get us as far as Kampung Kenip. From Rahim’s house, we made a brief stop at a primary school on the way to pack lunch. I was happy to be joining the trip, Jan on the other hand very eager to hunt down the other more elusive Kenip waterfall.

Jan wasn’t kidding when he told me that the road leading to Kampung Kenip will be long, winding and unpaved. Off the main road, we weaved through rubber plantations before we hit the dirt track. Soon, it was obvious that we are in Orang Asal land.

A sign to warn loggers to stay off their ancestral land

The ‘early’ parts of the road

We were lucky it hadn’t rained for a few days. Rain would have really made some parts of the dirt road difficult for us and it doesn’t help that none of our vehicles were equipped with any sort of recovery system. I felt as if the ride lasted for hours. It was excruciatingly long and painful, especially when I hear the bottom of my car hit rocks and the side of the car being brushed with thick bushes that protruded from the side of the road.

Nearing Kampung Kenip, we face our biggest obstacle probably. A bridge built across a fast flowing river by loggers connects the village and the outside world. It consists of big timbers, stacked on each other and filled with sand. After constant rain and exposure to elements, some of the timber has been swept away and much of the soil gone. We were worried that it would not hold our cars.

Some of the logs which made up the bridge have been swept away

Pak Dollah inspecting the bridge. Much of the soil has been swept away as well

My car was at the front. As if I had a choice. Its either cross or walk the remainder of the distance. The choice was obvious. We took the chance and got away with it. My first impression of Kampung Kenip…… it’s a barren land! As we drove up around the final turn up the hill towards the village, I cannot help but feel the Kampung being so empty. There were a few huts from a distance but no activity at all.

Kampung Kenip, from a distance seems so…barren

As it turns out, most of the villagers are out working on the farms nearby. Some were out hunting and checking their animal traps. We approached the village, parked our cars and soon after village children start to emerge from the kampung huts. Soon, we were surrounded by curious eyes and it doesn’t help when we have a ‘kulit putih’ (white man) around.

Kids started emerging from the huts when they noticed us strangers

We were soon the village’s main attraction

We were behind time. It took us longer than expected to get to the village. We got our kits together and got the goodies we brought out. These are part of the donations put together by Joe Yeap (of Waterfall Survivors) for the villagers. We waited for the village elder to arrive to receive the goods. When he arrived, he shook our hands but had a really unfriendly face on. We later found out that Mr Unhappy was overly cautious with outsider visiting the village. Seems that the last group that came left with lorries laden with timber harvested from the jungle. And the villagers of course are left with nothing.

Some Semai children are more cautious

The sun was above our head by the time we left Kampung Kenip for the jungle trail. Already I can sense read clearly from Jan’s face…’Lets start walking laaa… the two Kenip waterfalls waiting!’.

Continue reading…

Part I – A visit to Semai’s village at Pos Betau

Part III – The walk to Kenip Falls

Part IV – The waterfalls at Kenip

Final part – Hill rice, blow pipe & traditional fire starter of the Semais