By Alex 
The first thing you notice about Major (R) Kalam Pie is his woven rattan headgear and blowpipe. “I bring them along at every opportunity because I want people to know my orang asli roots,” he declares proudly.
Half Semelai, half Minangkabau, Kalam has spent over 10 years championing the prosperity of his people
while preserving their cultural identity. The pillar of his effort is the Jungle School of Gombak, an experiential leadership programme that he co-founded with his wife, Dr Norzalifa Zainal Abidin, a lecturer at the International Islamic University.
Using the Gombak forest reserves as the venue, JSG engages orang asli to teach participants about jungle survival skills: the laws of the jungle, basic foraging skills, preparing food and shelter using forest materials, while inculcating awareness about sustainability. Kalam says, “At a young age, orang asli are taught to appreciate the biodiversity of the forest, co-existing harmoniously with nature by taking only what is necessary to sustain ourselves. This knowledge has helped us live independently in the forest for centuries.”
The jungle, his school
Kalam was born and raised in Gemas, back when the land was still rich in pristine forest and crystal-clear streams. “I lived in a bamboo hut that my father built with his own hands,” he shares. “Every night, we lit a fire to keep away wild animals because the jungle was just across the river. You could frequently hear the roars of tigers!”
As a young child, Kalam frequently accompanied his father into the forest. “My father would do jungle works such as selling rotan or catching fish to earn additional income. I watched how he would forage for food, build traps to catch small animals and collect medicinal herbs for my mother, who was the village midwife.”
“The jungle was my school.”
Those jungle-honed skills would prove to be an asset throughout his life. At boarding school, his physical prowess made him a natural leader in sporting and extracurricular activities. After finishing his studies, Kalam joined the airforce. Explaining his motivation, he says, “During the mid-70s, my Gemas village was a training ground for American troops. As a young boy, I was dazzled by their army fatigues and helicopters!”
He recalls one memorable bootcamp where he was left in the forest for 14 days with no supplies. “We
had to survive by making fire, building our own shelter and even wearing leaves as clothes. Everybody had a hard time, but to me, it was like balik kampung (going home)!” he chuckles.
During his military years, Kalam also took part in international peacekeeping missions and ventured into
communications and strategic planning, just to be an “all-rounder”. These extracurricular activities would serve him well in the next phase of his life.
Reintegration into civil life
After two decades in the airforce, Kalam was brought back into the orang asli community by a twist of fate. He reunited with Norzalifa, his first love from his boarding school days, after learning from fellow classmates that she had suffered a stroke. They eventually got married. To support her recovery, he opted for early retirement and moved to Gombak, where she was teaching at International Islamic University.
Spending more time in Gombak, Kalam was stunned by what he discovered. “Gombak is the only village in the world where ten indigenous tribes live harmoniously in close proximity,” he points out.
At the same time, he was dismayed by the community’s challenges. Many of the families lived below the poverty line. The elderly shared with him their fear of losing their identity, as the younger generation had little interest in learning about their cultural heritage.
On weekends, Kalam began carrying out CSR activities such as organizing house repairs, river cleanups and donation drives to help the orang asli community. A chance meeting with Raman bah Tuin, a Semai tribesman who was promoting indigenous arts and craft activities on a small scale, sparked an idea.
“I was reminded of my visit to Mongolia in 2009, where I witnessed how eco- tourism was flourishing in the Steppes. The locals show off their traditional way of life dwelling in tents, riding horses, their archery skills. Our orang asli have a rich set of culture and traditions, so there’s no reason why we can’t replicate the model in Malaysia.”
With that in mind, Kalam began scouting for community members who were open to sharing with the world their skills as master craftsmen, weavers and jungle guides. “It was not easy to get everyone on board,” he admits. “Each tribe is unique with their respective different cultures and we have get the buy-in of each kampung’s elders. But as half Semelai and half Minangkabau, I’m considered neutral and so I can sit in at any of their groups and they can open up to me.”
As their activities gained momentum, Kalam and Norzalifa decided it was time to formalize their work. And the Jungle School of Gombak (JSG) was born in 2014. Kalam does the groundwork, while Norzalifa handles the R & D. Their children help out: their daughters handle the social media marketing, while their sons chip in as trainers.
International recognition
In June 2020, their work received an unexpected boost. Norzalifa received an email invitation to participate in the Canada-based International Invention Innovation Competition. “It was so unexpected that we thought it was a scam,” laughs Kalam. “Only after the fifth email did we think maybe this is legitimate and finally replied!”
JSG went on to beat out 680 participants from 60 countries to win three gold medals. Its unconventional “edu-eco-tourism” model won praise from the judges for redefining “current knowledge level in Canada for us to become curious about the jungle school in the modern era and how it can be effective for many people around the world.” JSG has gone on to win a slew of awards.
Obtaining global endorsement certain helps to attract more collaborative efforts from stakeholders. While they are keen to scale out and help orang asli communities in other parts of Malaysia, the couple’s primary goal is get Gombak gazetted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “With a rich bounty of natural and cultural heritage, Gombak is like a living museum,” points out Kalam.
Currently, JSG has got more than 30 families in Gombak onboard as talents. They alternate and distribute the activities evenly so that as many families as possible are involved and everyone gets a slice of the pie.
“The elderly fear losing their identity, as the younger generation had little interest in learning about their cultural heritage. Through JSG, I hope the younger generation will realize their heritage’s value.”
To learn survival skills that have enabled orang asli to live independently in the jungle for centuries, sign up at https://www.jungleschoolgombak.com/