In today's news, there is accordingly a depletion of rattan or cane in the Malaysian forest. This has of course made the 'orang asli' who have been surviving from jungle products seek out other resources. Rattan has of course been a source of revenue for them as it is required especially for furniture. Rattan furniture has been favorite choice for Malaysians besides being exported. I remember acquiring my first piece of furniture for the home , paid from my first take home salary way back in 1959. That would make it a half century now. For that length of time it is still in good condition. Definitely it was a rattan settee. Don't ask about the price. It was dirt cheap then. Especially the settee was produced from a small workshop next door to our home at Jalan Sekerat Alor Star. The cane or furniture maker later moved to Butterworth Penang and had a thriving business there as he had strong buyers from the nearby Australian Air force base. Indeed during the early sixty's cane furniture was the top hit and I am certain many sets were exported home by the Australian servicemen and others who were living in Penang then.
With poor supply of good cane coupled by few skilled cane -makers, home furniture took to other products. Wood and not necessarily good quality hard wood became the choice. Iron, steel and plastic material products came into the market. Furniture from Indonesia saw a steady grow. Malaysian tendencies to buy brand new especially living-room settee sets annually, especially on the eves of Hari Raya and other special occasions continue to make the furniture business thriving.
Still fine cane furniture, moulded by skilled craftsmen is truly my choice.
Now that canes or rattan are hard to come by, where do the 'orang asli' turn to? Surprisingly they have found a strong market from vegetable growers of Cameron Highlands who need large baskets as containers for their products. Loaded onto lorries in bamboo baskets, vegetables are transported by tons daily to markets in the cities and even as far as Singapore. The daily requirement means of course a huge demand for bamboo. So too basket weavers are as much required.
The story will take a turn when bamboo too starts becoming less after the rape of the jungle as has happened to other natural growth of the forest. Our tendency to rake away whatever is available and never considering to replenish will in the end become our perpetual disaster.It is a welcome sight when you are blessed with greenery wherever you go and more so to see jungle products adorning and utilised in the community with their own characteristics. Only we hope all concerned will remember that usage without replacement will eventually deplete what ever are given.
2 Responses:
Seronok juga baca cerita yang berunsur sejarah tempatan, bila terbaca perkataan Jalan Sekerat saya terlintas Sunagi Petani, rupanya di Alor Star pun ada Jalan Sekerat, Kalau di Sg.Petani tidak jauh dari Pekan Lama.Walaupun saya orang yang berasal dari A.Star juga tetapi tidak dapat menggambarkan di mana tempat itu.
Merujuk kepada hasil buatan perabot atau apa sahaja yang dihasilkan oleh orang dahulu memang berkualiti kerana mereka menjaga jati diri, orang sekarang menjaga keuntungan lebih daripada segala-galanya sehingga hilang kejujuran,( bukan semua )
Terima kasih kerana menghidangkan cerita menarik.
Wassalam.
Kalau saudara ke PMC ( Putra Medical Centre), kini dah 8 tingkat dg bangunan baru - itulah jalan Sekerat dan kini menghubungi bangunan-bangunan di Kompleks Tunku Yaakub yang terbengkalai.Malangnya tak ada kampong orang Melayu disini lagi. Dulu dekat dengan panggung Rex.Kini itu pun tak ada lagi.
salam sejahtera.semoga mendapat ilham dan kesegaran sambil berblog.
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