Between Wood and Oil Palm
An indigenous Malaysian artisan bridges two worlds: the age-old tradition of Mah Meri woodcarving and the modern realities of oil palm farming.
Wood scraps and shavings litter the floor of a wooden pavilion where the air smells faintly of cedar-like fragrance and resin. Propped against the wall, intricately carved wooden masks stare with expressions of humour and menace. Half-finished sculptures of mythical creatures perch on the shelves. Above the entrance hangs a sign that reads “Samri Kraf Pulau Carey” (Samri’s Crafts Carey Island).
Seated on a custom low stool, A. Samri Abdul Rahman works with calm focus. Wielding a carving knife, his hands move with steady rhythm, shaping a tiger sculpture from a block of Nyireh Batu (Xylocarpus moluccensis) wood. Beyond the walls of this workshop, another rhythm defines Samri – the everyday grind of an oil palm independent smallholder.
For Samri, heritage and agriculture are intertwined threads of survival.
“My masks and sculptures preserve our ancestral stories and identity, while oil palm provides a stable livelihood that sustains my family,” says the Mah Meri master woodcarver and second-generation oil palm farmer. More than just a commodity, palm oil provides a sustainable, nutritious food source that supports healthy families and resilient communities.
Born and raised on Carey Island, Samri earned the designation of a Master Craftsman of Mah Meri Sculpture by the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation in 2021. Today, he represents Malaysia at international events, carrying with him the stories and identity of his people.
Socio-economic Shifts
The Mah Meri are one of 18 Orang Asli (indigenous) tribes living in Peninsular Malaysia, with their distinct Besise’ language and maintaining distinct cultural traditions and customs. Numbering just over 4,200 (2024 figures), they mainly live on Carey Island and Sepang, Selangor. Early traces of their nomadic ancestors were discovered in the coastal regions of southern Peninsular Malaysia in the 15th century. The first Mah Meri settlements on Carey Island were documented from the mid-1800s. Lowland rainforests, mangrove swamps, mudflats, and rivers form the natural landscape. Traditionally, the islanders lived off the forest and the sea until colonial development transformed the island landscape in the early 1900s.
Today, about 79% of Carey Island is planted with oil palm and is owned by the plantation giant SD Guthrie Bhd. Five Mah Meri villages remain, including Kampung Sungai Bumbun where Samri lives. An hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Bumbun has a population of 400, with oil palm and fishing as the main sources of livelihood.
The Sustainable Farming Journey
The eldest of six siblings, Samri recalls helping out at the family farm from a young age. In the late 1970s, JAKOA (Department of Orang Asli Development) allocated land parcels to the villagers for agricultural purposes. Samri’s father, a fisherman, was among the first villagers to cultivate oil palm.
“My job was to collect loose palm fruits during harvest and pull weeds around the palm trees. We couldn’t afford to buy herbicide,” says Samri, 50. Oil palm provided a steady supplement to his father’s fishing income, ensuring there was food on the table and the children could stay in school.
“I was lazy, though. I was eight years old, and all I wanted was to play! ” he adds with a chuckle.
Dropping out of school at 15, he shuffled between jobs as a contract harvester and a factory worker for a few years. In 1995, his father gave him a 3-acre plot of land for oil palm planting.
Like his father’s generation then, Samri farmed through trial and error. He would spray herbicide rampantly to control weeds, plant inferior seedlings, and fertilising only when he had surplus cash.
In 2015, through JAKOA’s assistance, Samri received training and guidance from TUNAS (Oil Palm Teaching and Advisory Services) officers from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). Tunas extension agents provide support for MSPO (Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil) certification to independent smallholders across Malaysia through MPOB Tunas offices. As of 2025, there are 49 Tunas offices nationwide, supported by 190 extension agents.
“I learned about standard oil palm best practices, from reducing chemical inputs and stacking palm fronds ‘correctly’ to ensure optimum nutrients for the soil, and following the zero-burning policy,” says the father of two children, ages 17 and 21.
"It’s (WAGS BIO is) a great programme to help farmers who can’t afford expensive fertiliser but would still want to ensure their farms stay healthy in the long run."
Samri received his MSPO certification in 2017, under MPOB’s Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOC) initiative, which groups independent smallholders in Malaysia into clusters for a more cost-effective adoption of the MSPO certification scheme.
“My trees are healthier, and my yields have improved,” says Samri, who rakes in an average of MYR 1,400 (USD 335) monthly from FFB (fresh fruit bunch) sales. He invested in a grass cutter to manage weeds and shaved off farming expenses.
“I try to apply chemical fertiliser at least twice a year. But with high input costs and erratic palm oil prices, it’s not always easy,” he adds. “Another constant challenge is littering. Since my farm sits along the main road cutting through the island, people often treat it like a dumping ground.”
In 2022, Samri joined the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS). A Wild Asia initiative, WAGS offers free technical advice, training, and capacity building to help independent smallholder farmers meet international certification standards and improve their farm management practices.
“Having the opportunity to earn premiums for certified crops is a great incentive,” says Samri, who received his RSPO certification in 2023. That same year, he also attended the WAGS BIO awareness workshop to learn about regenerative practices. He learned about restoring soil health using soil amendments made from organic waste, and the benefits of intercropping to improve income and farm biodiversity.
“It’s a great programme to help farmers who can’t afford expensive fertiliser but would still want to ensure their farms stay healthy in the long run,” says Samri. “But it’s labour-intensive, and I don’t have the time to commit 100% to chemical-free farming yet.”
Preserving cultural legacy
It is not hard to see why. For the past three decades, Samri’s life has been a constant balancing act between farming and woodcarving.
In Mah Meri culture, woodcarving is a skill handed down through generations and rooted in spiritual beliefs. More than just artistic expressions, the wooden masks and sculptures depict folktales and ancestral spirits, used in rituals, storytelling and festivals like the annual Hari Moyang (Ancestors’ Day), an age-old ceremony to honour their ancestors.
A sixth-generation carver in his family, Samri was mentored by his uncle, the late master carver Pion Anak Bumbung. Samri started honing his skills at 18 and found his true calling at the age of 23.
“I was inspired by photos of my Pak Long (uncle) travelling abroad to showcase his craftsmanship and our culture,” says Samri, the only one amongst his siblings who embraced woodcarving as a vocation. “Finally, after 20 years of discipline, technical mastery and tenacity, I achieved my dream to promote the Mah Meri culture on the world stage.”
He has since demonstrated his carving skills at exhibitions and trade fairs worldwide, including the recent Osaka World Expo 2025. The Mah Meri woodcarvings carry the UNESCO Seal of Excellence, a distinction awarded to handicrafts that exemplify quality, cultural authenticity, and environmental responsibility.
When he is not on the road, he divides his time between the farm and his workshop. During harvest season, he spends an average of three days a week on the farm. Relying on custom orders, he usually takes about a month to complete a single mask, which sells for around MYR 3,000.
“On a good month, when the ‘mood’ is right and there’s a burst of creativity, I can complete two masks,” he says with a grin.
An enterprising spirit, he also designs printed T-shirts using natural materials such as leaves and flowers to sell at craft events, and teaches woodcarving to the youths in his community.
“My legacy is to preserve our cultural heritage and pass down the Mah Meri woodcarving tradition and oral histories to the next generation,” says Samri, with conviction. “I tell the young people: woodcarving can earn you a side income. But more importantly, it’s something you can do in your free time, after working on the farm!”
Samri embodies the resilient spirit of the Mah Meri: a people grounded in their identity, preserving culture while adapting to the shifting realities of modern life. For the master craftsman and his community, palm oil is more than a crop; it’s a bridge between tradition and health, carving a future where heritage and sustainability thrive together.
This story is part of the Malaysian Sustainable Farmer Chronicles farmer profile series, a collaboration between Wild Asia and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council that shares the innovations and best practices of MSPO–certified smallholder farmers in Malaysia.