He left school at the age of 13 to work as a wood carver in his father's cabinet making shop.
"I used to be a wood carver," someone else spoke up.
His father was a wood carver, and Dantan's first teacher.
It was here he began his career as a wood carver, working for businesses and churches in the surrounding area.
The young wood carver had done a good job on it, and it would last a while.
As a 14-year old, he moved to Berlin to begin an apprenticeship with a wood carver.
A mile or two away, Mas is the home of wood carvers.
He has become one of America's leading wood carvers.
After working as a wood carver and gardener, he turned to botany.
At 16, he had completed his formal education and was apprenticed as a wood carver.