Lija works hard at carrying on Mah Meri legacy despite disability

KUALA LUMPUR: Lija Uju never went to school and can hardly hear or utter a word. The 41-year-old wood carver, however, is not letting his disability stop him from carving out a future for himself and his family. As soon as he was spotted chipping away at a 1m tall sculpture at the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Mah Meri sculptures exhibition, he became a hit among visitors even though he could only communicate through gestures with a big smile on his face.

“This sculpture has already taken me 10 months!” he said through fellow wood carvers who helped to interpret his gestures.

Born in a family and neighbourhood of wood carvers in Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun in Carey Island (less than 20km from Port Klang in Selangor), Lija is one of the 12 Mah Meri tribe wood carvers who are still carrying on the tribe's legacy in wood carving. He was in his 20s when he first got interested in the art. “Although he could not speak, he learned by observing his family and friends,” said Samari Abdul Rahman, a 37-year-old carver with more than 16 years experience.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who launched the exhibition yesterday, said this was the first time the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism festival featured art from the orang asli community. The Mah Meri sculptures exhibition is being held at the Malaysian Tourism Centre at Jalan Ampang until July 31.
-thestar online.