The plight of the Orang Asal

It was supposed to be a brief talk about water issues faced by the Orang Asal (we were told they preferred being referred to as Orang Asal rather than Orang Asli), the talk went on the discuss other issues that were faced by them from contaminated water sources, sanitation issues arising from that, deforestation and encroachment and lots more...

The talk was given by a vivacious lawyer, Siti, who does pro bono work for the OAs.

JY who would usually doodle the 1 hour away during her father's Rotary meetings was all ears, mostly due to the passion that exuded from the brilliant speaker.

A series of photos were shown and some of the images evoked very strong emotions.

Suggestions from rainwater harvesting to health clinics were brought up.

In the carpark, DH was presented with a traditional headgear.

One of the OA who came along for the talk showed us his woven bracelet that cannot be removed as it was weaved directly onto his wrist. It took 2 hours.

Another bracelet, this made of seeds.

JY asked Siti for another talk, a more indepth one and was instead invited to tag along with their group of volunteers into the OA village.

Weaving with Nipah leaves @ Pulau Carey 11thJune2011

After lunch at a riverside restaurant, we headed back to the village for a session on weaving. While waiting for the lesson to begin, the kids had some fun time teasing the cats with nipah fronds.

Not all the adults joined the weaving session, most of the fathers made a beeline for the woodcarving bench, intent on finishing off their project.

Weaving a bird from Nipah fronds is harder than it looks. Loops to make and pushing the leaves to the left and over the top and then folding over....and you have a bird!

The midrib of the leaf was removed and was later used as a holder for the bird.

Getting pointers on how to make a loop.

JY couldn't figure out how anyone can come up with such intricate steps.

Fai joined in when he saw the other kids playing with their woven fish and birds.

A wonderful learning experience with the Orang Asli for the kids and parents alike.

Woodcarving with Orang Asli @ Pulau Carey 11thJune2011

We were at Carey Island for a woodcarving workshop with Encik Kemi, an Orang Asli of the Mah Meri tribe.

The workshop was held in a wheelchair accessible site.

Couldn't help but admire the very nice woodwork

Check out the carving on the post. The younger kids who didn't participate in the workshop spent most of their time there running up wooden stairs, down ramps and petting cats.

Stack of wood, mallet, carving tools and sandpaper were prepared for us.

Encik Kemi showing how it is done.

It was a unique opportunity for parents to bond with their kids over carving tools. It was heartwarming to see parent and child learning a new skill together, bent in concentration as they tried their hand at woodcarving.

One of my favourites....Ultraman!

When all the other kids lost interest and fled the workbench, only this 7 year old stayed on to finish her plaque.

Parents and teenagers at work. At the far end is the tenacious 7 year old getting a helping hand from her mom.

At the end of the day, with a short break for lunch, these are some of the masterpieces.

Machika's self-carved momento. She had taken up woodcarving in school.

It seems that the extracurricular activities in her school in Tokyo range from shiatsu and ballet to baking.

Ean using a mallet and chisel.

To arrange for a woodcarving workshop, call En Samri 013-228 6045. Charges are RM15/pax inclusive of materials.

Pameran Orang Asli @ Museum Negara 30April2011

JY's fascination with Orang Asli craft prompted me to go for this. This year we have been doing a lot of activities related to Orang Asli.

There were a few stalls selling handicraft items. JY went from stall to stall looking at rings and bracelets but she decided against getting any.

Han went"So smooth!" as he felt the wood carving.

The programme for the next few weeks. Got this from Gerai OA's Facebook posting -too bad Gerai OA wasn't around, I have never got the chance to visit their stall and their collection of beads.

JY's favourite is the 2nd from the right - quirky

Leech spirit (left) and Tornado(right)

Walking into the exhibition hall, we noticed a man sitting in a shack. We gathered around him as he carved out a letter opener. After a while, he asked if the kids wanted to try it out. For sure!

JY using a mallet and chisel on the soon to be 'tornado' sculpture.

Fai using the mallet as the very patient woodcarver held on to the chisel.

Fai holding on to the tree trunk as JY chiselled away.

JY trying her hands at weaving. She said it was very complicated. Nipah leaves was used.

JY's Nipah bird.

Bamboo musical instrument.

The ladies thumped the bamboo onto a piece of wood creating a rhythmic beat.

Blow pipe.

We all had a go at this. The boys were told to blow HARD. They couldn't and their darts bounced off the target board.

I got 10 points.

PD Army Museum 19March2011

If there is one place you must visit in PD, it is the Army Museum.

It has been some time since our last visit and this time around we were accompanied by 40 children from Kapar Kidz.

Choo...chooo...chuggg...chugg....The train even had smoke billowing out for added effect. The train's whistle and chugging was so real that Ean refused to go anywhere near it.

We were pleasantly surprised to see booths set up and soldiers manning them. A week long exhibition was being held during the school break, what luck!

The boys didn't expect the guns to be so heavy.

Han, the one that makes guns out of anything from branches to drift wood and rocks, held the real rifle for a moment and quickly placed it back and ran off to the next exhibit.

Firefighting gear.

Fai noticed that the harness and accessories were similar to the ones used for rock climbing. He had gone rock climbing a few days earlier during the hot-air balloon carnival in Putrajaya.

A few nights ago, during Ean's daily dose of Maisy's Fire Engine, one of his must-reads, he said that he wanted to go on the fire engine - looks like another visit to the fire station.

I liked this display of knots.

Army food in mesh tin to sample (left) Have a look at their menu (right).

JY found their rations interesting, especially the sardines as she could feel the fish inside

We were given two horseshoes as souveniers.

Ean who likes to say "Neigh, I want some hay" could see what real hay looked like.

Minesweeper with one arm blown off.

What a treat it was to go for an armour joy ride on a Armoured Personnel Carrier. We paid RM1 per person, went into the APC, climbed up to the top and was taken for a ride around the barracks. It was bumpy and fast. We enjoyed every moment of it.

Setting up a trap for larger animals such as deer.

Smaller animals such as squirrels and jungle fowl had loops that snared their neck or feet rather than being impaled by spikes. All rather brutal but the kids now had an idea what was required to survive in the jungle.

A python and a frog.

Using a blade and a rock to start a fire. It took quite a while and a lot of effort. The hardest rock is required for the job. The hardest rock is usually found at the bottom of the riverbed.

A whitish wool-like substance was scrapped off the bark of a palm tree to use as a fire starter.

Smoked meat can keep for months.

Smoked monkey anyone?

Next to the monkey is the white wool-like substance used as a firestarter and above it, a more palatable chicken and fish.

When setting base in the jungle, look out for tiger or elephant tracks. If detected, sleep on a high-rise condo style. The tiger is sure to pay you a visit the moment it detects your foreign odour...the soldier sniffed his armpits as he said this.

The rattan ring that was used to secure the 2 pieces of wood was similar to the ring that JY bought in Miri, Sarawak.

JY was surprised to see her ring being used on a trap.

The traps demonstrated were similar to the ones we had seen before in the Orang Asli Museum. Seeing the traps in use by the army was eye-opening.

This outreach programme by the Malaysian Armed Forces was very educational and enjoyable.