of particular importance to the Malays. In the past, they regarded trees as being hosts for spiritual entities and forces that were capable of interacting with the world of men. Trees were the homes of spirits, and they became the focal point of devotional rituals (puja) which were directed to the spirits contained within them. Malays regarded some trees as being particularly powerful and endowed, and the cult of trees and wood emerged as a result of this deeper understanding and appreciation of the tree as a key element in the configuration of the esoteric and exoteric Malay world. There evolved an adab of trees—a correct way of dealing with them—and Malays learnt how to speak, communicate and relate to trees in a way that was unique to them. Boys, from the time they were young, were taught to recite special prayers (doa) when entering a forest, to ensure that the trees would protect them and that they would not be accosted by any malevolent spirits that might be lurking in the wilderness. Up until today, these beliefs endure and there are still many of those who feel that certain trees such as the kemuning (Murraya paniculata) and the waringin (banyan) host powerful spirit entities that should not be provoked or offended unnecessarily.
GUNUNGAN OF PULPIT (RT019A)
Surau Langgar, Kelantan, 1874, angsana and cengal woods, 148 x 69 x 20 cm
Depictions of a gunungan are often placed over mosque pulpits. Carved following the natural curve of the wood, stems of the ketam guri are here treated like ropes woven around flowers of the same plant. An inscription from the Koran forms part of the notched and curving lintel, reflecting the essence of Malay design, where alternating convex and concave curves represent the unity and balance of life. This fine carving (see also pages 64-5) is on loan to the Kandis Resource Centre from Surau Langgar, Kota Bharu.
KORAN (RT005)
Kelantan, late 18th-early 19th c.
The opening pages from an early handwritten and illuminated Koran. Gunungan motifs encase the calligraphy on all sides. The corners are decorated with rosettes of daun sesayap, a motif described as a wing-like leaf also known as daun Melayu, and bunga tanjung.
Wood, on the other hand, possesses only semangat. After the death of the tree, the spirit force of the living organism often leaves it for good in search of other hosts. (Only in rare cases does the spirit choose to remain in the wood, in which case it becomes highly prized, revered and, at times, feared for its inherent spiritual power.) Yet the semangat of the wood endures, as it still bears the traces of its Creator and the miraculous event of creation itself. This semangat of wood also happens to be the one element that is shared in common with human beings and, in particular, the wood-carver, who seems to understand the wood he works with. It therefore serves as the crucial bridge that brings together the woodcarver and the wood he prizes.
The semangat of wood is therefore of prime importance to the Malay woodcarver as it is the sole element that is intrinsic to the wood itself. It is a crucial element to both the existence and use of wood. Traditional woodcarvers of the past believed that it is the semangat contained within the wood that determines its beauty, the grain and lustre being directly related to the semangat forces contained within. (The stronger the semangat, the more lustrous, beautiful and flamboyant the grain.) Different types of wood have different types and levels of semangat contained within them.
Both the kemuning (Chinese myrtle, Murraya paniculata) (above) and the nangka (jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus) (below) are considered to have a high spiritual quality (semangat). Wood from the root and lower trunk of the kemuning is highly valued for its coloration and grain, and is used for keris hilts and sheaths. The nangka is light and resonant and is often used for musical instruments.
It is also the semangat of the wood that determines the proper use and utility of the various types of wood. Some with particularly strong semangat contained within them are better suited for nobler tasks, and are thus used to carve keris hilts, ceremonial objects, gates and doors, while lesser woods of lower semangat are kept for everyday use. The Malays' world of wood and woodcarving is therefore circumscribed by what can be called 'the economy of semangat', a complex system made up of the various factors that determine the accumulation, reproduction and loss of semangat of the wood itself.
The semangat or vital force of trees is directly related to their place in the natural order of things. All trees and all types of wood possess semangat. But different trees have different levels of semangat simply because they grow in particular places where semangat forces may be high or low. Like human beings whose semangat depends on the food they eat, the place they live in, the work they do, the semangat of wood is very much linked to external environmental factors as well. The environment has always been a crucial factor in the economy of semangat: The semangat of trees and various woods is directly related to the way in which the trees grow. Some types of environment and climate are thought to be particularly good for trees, and add to the semangat of the wood:
• Certain types of soil are important in determining the level of semangat found in wood. Black soil with some traces of sand was, and still is, thought to be particularly good for certain types of trees, such as the kemuning. Plots of land that were close to the sea and human settlement, with hills or mountains in the background, were also thought to be particularly good areas for harvesting wood harbouring strong semangat properties. This was because the trees were growing in areas where life forces were being generated (from human settlements and human activity) and this, in turn, nourished the semangat in the trees themselves.
• Hills and mountains are also regarded as being particularly good for producing trees imbued with strong semangat. Trees that grew on slopes and at higher altitudes were thought to have stronger semangat than those growing on the flat. In the past, Malay rulers and nobles would often reserve certain plots or areas on hillsides for their private cultivation of certain trees for their own specific ends.
• The sun, which is a source of vital light, heat and energy, is also a major source of semangat. The rays of the sun are thought to strengthen the semangat of a tree. The earliest woodcarvers believed that the best part of the tree was the one that faced the rising sun (that is, the part of the trunk that faced eastwards). The wood on this side of the trunk was thought to be of better quality and have stronger semangat, for the simple reason that it had received more early morning light that was purer and stronger.
Certain types of trees and wood also possess stronger semangat. Woods with strong and pronounced grains (coreng), stripes (jalur), ripples (kerinting) and colours (pela) are said to have stronger semangat properties. Such grains are often found in woods that have a core (teras) in them; indeed, trees with cores in their trunks are regarded to be of particularly strong semangat. It is evident that for the Malay wood-carver, it is the semangat of the wood itself that determines the particular characteristics of each type of wood, and not the other way round.
PINTU GERBANG (ENTRANCE GATE) (AR001)
Kelantan, mid-19th c., cengal wood, brass handles and hinges, 351.5 x 274.5 x 13 cm
A gateway built for a former Prime Minister of Kelantan (see pages 80-1).
The
