VILLAGE OF ORANG ASLI IN PENANG HILL

Orang asli village on Penang Hill

By ANDREA FILMER

PENANG: With a little luck, Penang Hill may soon be famous for something new – an au-thentic orang asli village experience. A group of orang asli from the Temiar tribe in Perak have embarked on a newly established project called the AdanA Projek Asli (APA). APA currently has two authentic Temiar buildings, a Sewang (a traditional dance) Hall and a hut that were both built by Temiar people out of materials from the forest. Completed last September, they are located next to Nature Lodge on Penang Hill. The hall can be booked for gatherings where the Temiar people will perform tribal Sewang dances that could last the whole night. “For the dances, we dress in traditional outfits that we have made ourselves out of things from the forest such as coconut leaves,” said Azizan Busu, who is involved in the project. The instruments used were made of bamboo and materials from the forest, he added. Visitors can also stay overnight in the hut that can take in two people with their com-panions camping under the stars in sleeping bags or mattresses or they can opt to stay in Nature Lodge. The orang asli are also offering authentic barbecues where interested parties can either buy their own food that would be cooked, or request the management to provide them with an authentic Temiar feast.

Back to nature: The hut (right) and Sewang Hall are built of materials gathered from the jungle.

“What we normally cook are fish, chicken and sweet potatoes,” Azizan added. Advisor Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat, the chairman of Bellevue, the Penang Hill hotel, said the project was a starter course in hos-pitality for the orang asli, who were quite shy and worked for him as field assistants in botany works. Lim hopes to guide them into managing their own enterprise and in the future, help train the villagers in their hometown of Sungai Siput in Kampung Lasah, Perak. “Hopefully, this may lead to the beginning of guided tours in their villages as well, which are two and a half hours from Penang,” he added. Rates for booking the Semang Hall and hut are negotiable according to occupancy. Inquiries about the project can be made to Azizan (017-4780923), Razali (014-3400189) or to Bellevue (04-8299500).