Spirit of Wood Quotes

“For the pagan Malays of the ancient past, the tree was literally the core of their universe. They believed that at the centre of the world was a great ocean, and in the middle of this ocean grew a gigantic tree called Pauh Jangi—the original, primordial tree of life that had stood since the beginning of creation. At the root of this enormous tree was a cavern called Pusat Tasek (Navel of the Great Lake). In this cavern lived a gigantic crab that emerged once a day. The movement of this gigantic creature caused the ebb and flow of the tides, the shifting of the winds and other atmospheric changes (Skeat, 1900). But it was the great tree Pauh Jangi that kept this pagan cosmos together, serving as the gravitational centre to this mobile and erratic universe.”
― Farish A. Noor, Spirit of Wood: The Art of Malay Woodcarving

“The work of a craftsmen, if it is not anchored in a civilization, becomes mere trend.”
― Eddin Khoo, Spirit of Wood: The Art of Malay Woodcarving

“The craftsman imbibes the spirit of his civilization from an artefact, from its surface since each artefact is invested with a spirit that endures.”
― Eddin Khoo, Spirit of Wood: The Art of Malay Woodcarving