Indigenous Knowledge in Action at Jungle School Gombak

About this episode

The episode discusses the Jungle School Gombak project, which integrates indigenous knowledge and environmental education through community-led teaching.

Indigenous knowledge, cultural identity, and environmental stewardship all come together in a project called Jungle School Gombak , which offers something quite different from a typical classroom. Here, the forest becomes the learning space, and Orang Asli community members take on the role of teachers, sharing skills, stories, and perspectives that are rarely experienced firsthand. It’s an initiative that not only brings people closer to nature, but also challenges how we think about knowledge, expertise, and whose voices matter. We're joined by its co-founders, Major Retired Kalam Pie, an Orang Asli activist and former Royal Malaysian Air Force officer, and Assistant Professor Dr Norzalifa Zainal Abidin, from the faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guests: Major Retired Kalam Pie, Dr Norzalifa Zainal Abidin

Topics covered

• indigenous knowledge
• cultural identity
• environmental stewardship
• education
• community engagement

Keywords

• indigenous knowledge
• Jungle School Gombak
• Orang Asli
• environmental education
• cultural identity
• community
• learning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: International Islamic University Malaysia

Places: Jungle School Gombak, Malaysia, forest, Orang Asli

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