A young man pulls down the vine of a thick rattan after he cut the vine loose from its crown. He will then slice all the leaves off the vine, cut it into nine-foot sections, and tie the sections into bundles of four or five pieces, which he will carry to the collection place on his shoulder.
Procuring ingredients for personal cooking. Patients had the option of eating meals prepared by hospital staff or receiving ingredients to prepare their own food. Since many patients were accompanied by their families, it was usually preferable to have a family member prepare meals, which were often supplemented by fish or meat caught outside the hospital grounds. Fresh fish, monkey and iguana were favorites.
Thick species of rattan (Calamus manan, Calamus ornatus) are in demand for making walking canes and furniture frames. These species cling so firmly to the treetops, the vines cannot simply be pulled down. Here a young man climbs the tree supporting a thick rattan so he can cut the vine loose from the crown.
Procuring ingredients for personal cooking. Patients had the option of eating meals prepared by hospital staff or receiving ingredients to prepare their own food. Since many patients were accompanied by their families, it was usually preferable to have a family member prepare meals, which were often supplemented by fish or meat caught outside the hospital grounds. Fresh fish, monkey and iguana were favorites.
This husband and wife wear similar headdresses of flowers and plant stems through their nasal septa. The woman alone has flowers in her pierced ears and white and red lines across her forehead.
Children learn very young to make fire with smoldering logs, matches, lighters, flint and steel, and rattan and dry wood. Here some young children are starting a fire by sawing a strip of rattan back and forth on a dry stump.
I asked a couple of Malay staff wives to design a paper baju pattern for our sewing class. The Orang Asli women were then able to work through all the processes from chosing their material right through to wearing the baju. When they returned to their kampongs they were able to teach the others there.
Group photo of Ari, the head of the village, Normah, and Elaine on Carey Island. All are holding wooden statues or masks carved by the local villagers.
