By LEONG SIOK HUI

In the heart of Kelantan is a treasure trove of Malay woodcarvings and lore – Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein’s legacy. 

Within the weathered walls of a 185-year-old Malay wooden house lies a gorgeous collection of exquisite woodwork.  

Inspiration: The late Nik Rashiddin inspecting a piece of wood he is about to carve. — DAVID LOK

Take the “female” coconut scraper, for instance, intricate traditional motifs like bunga kerak nasi (a creeper with flowers resembling rice scrapings) and bunga pepulut (hayseed) adorn it, while the underside is carved to have “scales”.  

It’s probably about 100 years old and could have come from a seaside village like Kg Laut or Pasir Pekan, both places renowned for their cuisine. Most likely, the scraper was owned by a celebrated chef because reportedly it was the good cooks who owned beautiful implements. * 

These beautiful objects and their stories are just a small part of the “treasures” found at the Kandis Resource Centre in Bachok, Kelantan. A vision of the late master woodcarver Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein, Kandis was set up as a centre for craftsmen, art lovers, researchers and artists to access information or compare notes on Malay culture and traditions.  

“My husband’s idea was to make his collection accessible to Malaysians so they can come, ask questions and do research,” says his wife Rosnawati Othman, who began running Kandis with the help of Nik Rashiddin’s protégé, Norhaiza Noordin, and brother Nik Rashidi, after her husband passed away in 2002.  

Nik Rashiddin’s extensive collection was part of the travelling exhibition, Spirit of Wood, which made its début at Badan Warisan in 2000. The exhibition travelled to Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum in 2003 and London’s School of Oriental and African Studies in 2004 before returning to the National Museum in 2005.  

“He wanted to disseminate the knowledge, but formal lectures in colleges were the last thing he would do,” says Rosnawati, 47, who taught art history at UTM for 10 years.  

“He would rather sit in his workshop, carve his keris hilts and chat with people. That’s when he really channelled his energy.”  

It’s not surprising that Kandis – named after Kg Kandis where Nik Rashiddin was based – sits in a compound fringed by coconut trees, a stone’s throw away from the South China Sea.  

“Because his roots, base, resources and material were here, when people visit, they can understand what the environs did for him,” explains Rosnawati whose house is right next to the resource centre.  

“It aroused his senses – the birds chirping, the lapping waves and the movement of the day dictated his work.”  

His handiwork: The museum cum gallery housing some of Nik Rashiddin’s works; (Inset) His wife, Rosnawati Othman. — TAN LEE KUEN

Nik Rashiddin referred to his artefacts as his “textbooks” as little had been written on woodcarving and the meanings behind their motifs.  

“There’s no special school for traditional art and hardly any references. To learn woodcarving, you have to look for a teacher or mentor and find a syllabus,” explains Norhaiza who, together with Nik Rashiddin, founded Kandis.  

A highly sought-after woodcarver, Norhaiza is currently involved in a commission for Oxford University’s Islamic Centre. He has chiselled masterpieces for Istana Melawati and the Islamic Arts Museum.  

Kandis aims to serve as a repository of artefacts, old and contemporary, that illustrate traditional motifs and designs; sketches, recordings and videos demonstrating craftsmen’s knowledge and skills and a library of books on woodcarving and cultural traditions.  

It is easy to pick up basic woodcarving skills through a workshop. But how does one improve one’s skills?  

“There aren’t many teacher/mentors around to teach students the philosophy and history of woodcarving,” says Rosnawati. “At Kandis, students can combine their practical skills with the theory they acquire.  

“My late husband stressed: ‘Woodcarvers are no longer people who do skilled work under the house. Because, if they’re capable of creating such objects of beauty, in terms of craftsmanship and aesthetics, their intellectual level is beyond just normal skills’.”  

“By learning the philosophy of who we are, that we are artists and we’re important to society, craftsmen can learn to be more confident in their work and motivated,” adds Norhaiza, 44.  

A jebak puyuh made of angsana wood and ivory restored by him.

“What we want is our own identity, Malay carvings and the thoughts and knowledge to produce such things,” says Rosnawati. 

Today, Kandis conducts workshops and lectures for visitors, mostly university and college students.  

“Kandis fills a void. It acts as a teaching academy for students and postgraduate students to learn the traditions, philosophy, techniques and motifs associated with traditional Malay woodcarving from the East Coast,” explains Kandis’ chairman, Waveney Jenkins, a sculptor, artist, writer and one of the founders of Badan Warisan Malaysia.  

“It’s unique because it’s based on inside knowledge from the carvers themselves.  

“It’s important that those studying related fields such as design, architecture and art have an in-depth knowledge of what lies beneath the development of carvings, textiles, architecture and other parts of the Malay culture,” adds Jenkins.  

“Then they can carry this knowledge into the material world of design, fabrics, buildings, etc.”  

For the younger generation  

But it’s not easy attracting the younger generation, Rosnawati says.  

An ivory carving by Nik Rashiddin of a keris hilt. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star

At Kandis, the learning is all hands-on. You can look, touch and study the objects. You can view videos of craftsmen and there’s an interactive website is in the pipeline. Kandis is that important link to make the connection with the present generation, to create an interest and allow them to return to their roots,” says Rosnawati.  

The good news is Kandis just recently received funding from the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage and the Kelantan state government to build a new gallery and resource centre. The existing traditional Rumah Terengganu will house Nik Rashiddin’s personal collection and be used as a reference centre.  

“However, we need more grants to further develop the academy and necessary infrastructure,” says Rosnawati. 

The construction of the new gallery began in January 2007 and is expected to be completed in September this year.  

Nurturing the legacy of her husband hasn’t exactly been easy for Rosnawati. The mother of four – three girls and a boy aged six to 14 – hails from Gombak, Selangor. After her husband’s demise, her parents asked her to return to Gombak so they could help her raise her kids.  

“But my involvement in Kandis gives me reason to stay on in Kelantan,” says the strong-willed lady. “My late husband’s principle was always: do it small but do it wholeheartedly and to the best of your ability.  

“I am just continuing his dream,” says Rosnawati.