The Jah Hut of Kampung Kol

My first and only encounter with the Jah Hut Orang Asli, a Senoi sub-tribe, was in Kampung Kol, Jerantut (Pahang) way back in 1976. We were on our way to Taman Negara and stopped by to visit a Universiti Sains Malaysia researcher there and also to donate clothes and food to the villagers.

Marie-Andree Couillard was living with the Jah Hut to study their culture and traditions. She later published her Master's research as "Tradition in Tension; Carving in a Jah Hut Community".

Marie-Andree lived in her own hut there, built by the villagers of Kampung Kol. We noted her very primitive temporary home and kitchen, a reflection of all the other homes there. She kindly invited some of the villagers to show us their wood art - carvings, which we inevitably bought*. Three men also showed us their skill in making their traditional music using flutes. The children were curious and came around to view their visitors. Some of the children were naked and had protruding bellies, signs of undernourishment. But they seemed blissfully happy, like all children should be.

Among the Orang Asli, the Mah Meri and the Jah Hut are well-known for their wood art. Marie-Andree noted that the Jah Hut's modern carvings are based on their traditional beliefs related to the invisible world, more particularly to the bes or illness-causing spirits. She concluded that "the modern carvings illustrate the changes going on in Kampung Kol. They are representations of bes which are intrinsic to Jah Hut's conception of the invisible world, but they are produced so that they can be sold to outsiders. As 'exotic' objects the carvings bring money to the Jah Hut and give them access to the outside world. By the same process it allows this outside world to permeate the Jah Hut community and modify it".

(This post is in progress as I try to learn more about the Jah Hut.)

(Pic)

References:
1. Tradition in Tension; Carving in a Jah Hut Community/Marie-Andree Couillard. Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 1980. Ex Libris CNB 0155
2. Peoples and Traditions (The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, vol.12). 2006 Ex Libris CNB 2081
3. Orang Asli and their Wood Art/Anthony Ratos. 2006. Ex Libris CNB 1921

* Note: Sad to say my collection of three bes carvings were 'given away' by my family while I was overseas for some time. So I do not have any beautiful Jah Hut memorabilia from my visit to Kampung Kol except for some slides, courtesy of Dr Afendras. The above pictures (except the last) were developed from these slides.

Retro: Raya Open House at Janda Baik (2008)

TKC 64-70 girls with the host at Janda Baik (2008)

Venison on the spit (CNB 2008)

Every year without fail, a friend Rod, who lives in Janda Baik, Pahang never fails to have an open house do at her property there, especially during the aidil fitri celebrations.

Nestled among gentle hills of virgin forests and cultivated orchards, we look forward to the occasion here to meet up with friends from our boarding school days.

Since moving to Selangor in 2008, I have had the wonderful opportunity to make road trips up to Janda Baik to enjoy the good food and good company amidst the verdant green natural surroundings. While there, we never fail to go around the property admiring the fish ponds, fruit orchards, spice gardens and even an aviary. The crystal clear waters of a river flowing through certainly completes the picture. Oh, and the cool clime (23-27 degrees Celsius during the day) is a bonus.

A torch ginger grove (CNB 2008)

In the garden at Janda Baik with Rohani & Siti Ropiah*

*Al-Fatihah. We all miss our good friend Siti Ropiah who passed away earlier this year.

The Hill Stations of Pahang

The Cameron Highlands, Pahang (CNB 1990)

Of the six hill stations in Malaysia, four are in the state of Pahang. Hill stations are 'cool' in the real sense of the word. You almost forget that you are in the tropics when you are up there. Apart from the Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill, Genting Highlands and Bukit Tinggi in Pahang, there are the Bukit Bendera/Penang Hill in Pulau Pinang, and Bukit Larut/Larut Hills in Perak.

Cameron Highlands

M, B, A & furry friend in CH (CNB 1990)

Cameron Highlands seems to be a rather popular hill station and most favoured 'cuti-cuti Malaysia' destination, with busloads of rombongan sekolah (school groups) and organisations making the way there, especially during the school holidays.

What I remember of my first visit when still a student in the 1960s, was just how cold it was at night! If you left your seat a while, then the mist/dew set in. If I remember correctly, our accommodation was at a school and we had to make do with desks for beds! (I will need to confirm this with DFH who definitely has a much better memory of our schooldays). At that time we all took back the almost iconic 'everlasting' flowers; they were then the ultimate memento/souvenirs from the highlands.

M, B, A & Orang Asli (CNB 1990)

Later we had our family holidays there in the 1990s where M drove us from Pulau Pinang, stopping along Tambun for pomeloes, and Taiping for tea at the Lake Gardens. On the way up (or was it down?) we stopped by some Orang Asli homes to say hello and talk to them.

We had accommodations at Tanah Rata, and Cameron Highlands being a 'huge green carpet', we made the customary visits to check out the Boh tea factory and the tea plantations. We also went on to visit one of the numerous vegetable farms, the strawberry farm, and the rose garden.

We even took to the jungle trails, keeping to the 'easier' ones because of the children. The highland jungle flora was quite abundant, and once our trek led us along a river to a picturesque waterfall. One eventful (or should I say non-eventful?) experience was when we were denied entry to the colonial Ye Olde Smokehouse in Brinchang because we were not properly attired (read: one among us was wearing jeans, another had sandals on). Oh, well ... their loss; the Rajah Brooke Restaurant at the Merlin Inn got our custom/money instead.

Ringlet morn mart (MB)

In the morning, there was the market at Ringlet to browse for flowers, fruits and vegetables. Just the place to buy highland produce to your heart's content, before you make your journey down to wherever home is.

In all, Cameron Highlands is a great destination for family holidays although negotiating the snaking, winding roads in the highlands is very dicey at times, and we almost had a head on collision with one of the numerous lorries there. But M handled the roads quite well despite being more used to driving on the 'wrong side', hehehe!

Time and again we read about the 'rape' of the hills by unscrupulous people, although no more permits are being issued to clear the highland jungles for vegetable farming, etc. We hope the temperature up there remains 'cool', so that we may all escape to the hills every now and then.

Fraser's Hill
This is Malaysia's piece of  'Little England', now famous internationally for bird racing. No, the birds do not race, but the bird lovers/ornithologists do! They race (against time) to count the birds ...

My first visit was, when on the way to Taman Negara in 1976, our friend detoured to Fraser's Hill, named after Louis James Fraser, a haulier and tin trader. I only remember the one way traffic up or down depending on the clock, the beautiful waterfall and a most delicious meal at the colonial style Gap Resthouse.

A second visit more recently enabled us to look more closely at the beautiful colonial style bungalows, built of local grey limestone blocks. These include the Sultan Suleiman Building/Bungalow (a Selangor landmark because it is in a sliver of Fraser's Hill that falls inside Selangor).

At the iconic Fraser's Hill clock tower

On the way down, we had little black and white birds flying around the car, accompanying us to almost halfway down the hill. If VVIPs have outriders, then we had outfliers!? It was very surreal, and truly memorable.

We did stop for refreshments at the Gap Resthouse, but it was not the same anymore. Nothing we can do really, because as we all know, change is the only constant ...

Genting Highlands

CR poster

We all know that the main draw to the Genting Highlands is the Casino, where busloads of foreign tourists are taken by tour guides to gamble away their hard-earned money (but hey, I am not judging!)

My first trip to GH (with family and friends) was to fulfill a wish - to see the idol of my teen years, Cliff Richard, perform live at the Arena of Stars there in 2007. As revealed earlier on my posting about CR, I paid a lot of money for my very good seat. But I did enjoy the show, even if CR is a senior citizen (like me, lah!) prancing on a stage. In my seat I could not prance, so I merely tapped my foot, sometimes feet. But there were other senior citizen groupies in the audience who were behaving like hysterical teenagers (but hey, I am not judging again!)

Another trip was on a New Year eve. I drove us up to the Awana Genting Resort where we stayed, and in the afternoon rode the cable car to the top. I have always been fascinated by carousels, so with a friend KN, rode on the outdoor carousel while our children went on the 'faster' rides. Greeting the New Year 2009 there was very much a Bollywood affair, because a few busloads of Indian tourists really made their presence felt.

When we were living in Pulau Pinang, we used to go up Bukit Bendera/Penang Hill to 'cool off'. Now that we live in Shah Alam, the nearest hill station unfortunately, is Genting Highlands. But 'cooling off' here recently is not so nice anymore. I feel that more and more, the atmosphere here is of 'a circus in a shopping mall' (though I know some members of the family will beg to differ!).

A, B & M at GH (CNB 2011)

Bukit Tinggi
Eer... I have not been to this fairly new hill station, but I hear that the Japanese Garden there is full of Malaysian flowers and has a koi pond, and that Colmar Tropicale is a French resort village with Malaysian staff. I hope to find out for myself a.s.a.possible probable.

Treading Taman Negara (1976)

Way back in 1976, when I started working in USM, there were many expatriate lecturers then. They were always keen to discover Malaysia, and once, I ventured with some of them to Taman Negara, Pahang. I remember Dr Hutheesing as 'tour organiser' and she brought along her two Dutch nieces and their friend. There were other lecturers from the US, Greece and Japan, plus three locals including me, so ten in all.

We started our road trip from Penang, and stopped by Fraser's Hill for an overnight stay. The next day along the way, we visited a Jah Hut orang asli settlement because there was a USM PhD French student studying anthropology, living with them. I remember we distributed some food and clothing for the orang asli (though I felt then that Dr Hutheesing's used clothes were too glamorous for the jungle). I also remember buying some carvings (but then they disappeared when I was overseas - my family 'gave them away' because they were spirit figures). Anyway, we went on to Kuala Tembeling, Pahang, from where it was by boat to Kuala Tahan. Here we stayed in the Taman Negara park accomodations.

Moi aboard for the trip to Kuala Tahan - note my aviator glasses!
(1976)

We move upriver (1976)

Moving upriver was an adventure because the river was shallow in parts and we had to get out to push the boat upstream. Along the river we did see some wildlife, including the fierce seladang. But to me, I was most scared of the blood sucking leeches! They were just waving their tentacles (?) to 'jump' on to your bare skin. Although well prepared with proper jungle boots, I still was very wary of them. Especially when you hear stories of how they enter your ear and grow fat in there!

A scene of the Sungai Pahang (CNB 1976)

We hiked to a hide in the jungle, fording a swift river, to spend a night there at the hide to spot the animals that came to the salt lick nearby. We managed to see a tapir, distinct for its black & white body. No tigers or elephants though. Too bad, how sad.

Fording a river that came up to our waists (1976)

The jungle hide we spent a night in (CNB 1976)

I climb down the hide, with dirty laundry (1976)

We had home cooked food in a kampung house near our accomodation at Kuala Tahan. Everyone enjoyed the simple meals. For 'dessert' we picked rambutans that were in season then. The nearby river was so enticing and therefore dips in its waters was a regular thing to do.

Enjoying our  home-cooked lunch with Otome & Malcolm  (1976)

Dr Hutheesing's two nieces and friends by the river (CNB 1976)

We also made a few short hikes into the jungle, sometimes meeting the aborigines who live there. It was a very memorable trip and my only one into the Taman Negara, oldest tropical rainforest in the world.

Sometimes we hiked on well-laid out tracks, like this tree trunk
(CNB 1976)

Another scene on the Sungai Pahang (CNB 1976)