David P. Quinton

David P. Quinton, born in England, in 1977, was introduced to the Malay communities of Kelantan in Malaysia when he was only 19 years old. He spent four years, from 1999–2003, reviving a cottage industry at Kampung Mambung, a small village producing pottery, upriver from Kuala Krai. In 2007, he made his first acquaintance with the Temiar people, at Kuala Betis, on the slow-moving Nenggiri River. Later, in 2010, he drove up the dirt roads to reach the hinterland Temiars of Pos Simpor and Pos Gob. His fascination with their way of life and the knowledge of the environment they held, being so isolated from the outside world, not to mention their gentleness and deep beliefs, led David to begin a journey of investigation into their origins. This is described in the Preface of Vol.1, about his trekking in the forest, and interviewing the old folks among them. In 2016, David married a Temiar and settled down at the Pinchong River, near Pos Gob. They now have two young children, who are growing up in the Temiar way, surrounded by forest and waterfalls.

David’s wife, Ema, has been an invaluable source of information regarding Temiar culture, and her guidance has helped to steer the book writing on many occasions. Her father, Samsudin Bʹked, and her grandparents, ˀAbus Sisam and ˀAsuh ˀAti, and great uncle, ˀAlʉj Sisam, who are all pictured or mentioned in his book, have provided not only a wealth of knowledge that would have been impossible to discover otherwise, but they have also offered unceasing support to David while he has been living among them. At his home at Pinchong, David has planted over 50 fruit trees, from durians to coconuts, and each year he cuts down a swidden for planting manioc and peanuts. But with the road to town impassable for months on end and with elephants on the rampage at night pulling up the manioc and pushing over banana trees, David has experienced first-hand the difficulties that now face the Temiars in their endeavor to find food for their families.