Manufacture and terminology of Temiar bamboo rafts
G.W.H. Davison, a zoologist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, published this ethnographic account in 1989 documenting the construction sequence and Temiar terminology for bamboo rafts on the Sungai Nenggiri in Ulu Kelantan. Based on direct observation of six rafts built on 8 June 1988 by men from Kampung Blau, the article serves as a technical record of a traditional watercraft whose practical use is already declining.
Summary
The article addresses the documentation of a material culture practice at risk of loss. Davison observed the full construction of six rafts at Kuala Kiai, twenty kilometres above Blau, and recorded both the physical sequence of assembly and the Temiar names for each structural component. The rafts are built from giant bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii), rotan lashing, and hardwood poles, with a two-layered hull, a raised seating platform, and a distinctive steering apparatus at each end. The terminology recorded—lapik baliq, lapik matek, tekok, balei, alisok, lauong, singkang, pelanting, jeramoh, dayung, gandar, selar, uling—provides a lexicon for a technology that has no written tradition.
A notable analytical observation concerns navigation: the raft is steered broader-end first, even though the narrower end is shaped into a more streamlined V. Because the raft drifts with the current, relative water movement is minimal, rendering the oars useless as passive rudders. They function instead as paddles, used in concert at bow and stern to keep the raft parallel to the flow. Davison also notes that the oars can be employed as true sculls, but this is arduous and ineffective owing to the narrow sweep angle.
The article situates the Nenggiri rafts within a broader comparative context of Orang Asli watercraft, referencing earlier descriptions of Jakun bark canoes on the Sungai Endau (Abbott 1907; Evans 1930) and a 1962 photograph of a Temiar raft. Davison’s account is distinguished by its focus on the construction process itself and the internal logic of the design, rather than on the raft as a cultural symbol.
Key Findings
- Each raft used 32 culms of Gigantochloa scortechinii (minimum diameter 7 cm), arranged in two layers of twelve, plus two side-rails and four platform culms (p. 97, 101).
- The six observed rafts measured 9.8–12 m in length and 1.05–1.25 m in breadth; a 10 m raft required sixteen men to lift from the water (p. 104).
- Load capacity was approximately 450 kg (two steersmen, four passengers, and baggage), with the waterline just lapping the upper bamboo layer and passengers seated 15 cm above the water (p. 104).
- Construction took two men most of a day, though much of this time was spent searching for suitable materials (p. 97).
- Two distinct oar-blade types were documented: a simpler square blade (~30 cm) made from slotted split internode, and a more shaped blade (~25 × 40 cm) incorporating multiple pairs of bamboo splints with internodal tissue between them (p. 101–102).
- Service life was approximately one month, provided the raft remained in water to prevent drying and splitting; in practice rafts were used briefly because giant bamboo was scavenged for building at downstream settlements (p. 104).
Conclusion
Davison presents the Temiar bamboo raft as a functional but inherently ephemeral technology, constrained to downstream journeys and rapidly decomposed at its destination. The standardisation of size and construction across all six observed rafts suggests a degree of cultural codification, though he notes that Carey (1976) records smaller individual rafts and implies that design may once have been more flexible. The article’s ultimate value lies in preserving a complete technical and terminological record before the practice disappears entirely.
Context
- The study is grounded in direct fieldwork observation and informant instruction from residents of Kampung Blau, supplemented by photography; no archival collections were consulted.
- It contributes to the ethnographic record of Orang Asli material culture, extending the comparative framework established by Abbott (1907), Evans (1930), and Carey (1976) with a detailed construction account and indigenous terminology.