Culture Coup by Singapore Peranakan Museum

The new Peranakan Museum in Singapore has opened its doors to visitors(The Star-Apr 24,08) and judging by the success they have had with the Asian Civilizations Museum, it is safe bet to say that this museum housed in an old school will generate the same excitement among history bluffs and tourists. Singaporeans can be forgiven if they show a glint in their eyes over this museum but it is no laughing matter for the Malaysian government.

The Malaysian Ministry of Unity, Cultural, Arts and Heritage and the Museum Department are now caught with their tails in between the legs. They must confront this culture coup earnestly and they must be transparent about the direction or the lack of it of where we are heading. This is important if the authority is to be taken seriously as the guardian of our museums and the repository of our national heritage and heirloom. Heritage loving Malaysians are disappointed that valueless Peranakan artifacts are now in the hands of foreigners and we should demand that the same authority in Malaysia adopt a more proactive stance to champion local heritage.

For centuries, Malaysian states like Malacca, Penang and as far as Kelantan were some of the early points of entry for chinese immigrants who came here to work. They subsequently assimilated with the locals to form this unique culture we are come to call Peranakan, or the not so politically correct term - Baba & Nyonya.

Singapore or Temasik was then just the occasional pirate hideouts. Thus it is not ridiculous to stake claim that Tanah Melayu is the rightful birthplace of the Peranakan and its heritage.

Countless thesis and articles from local and foreign universities have critiqued its unique racial composition and highlighted the role they in Malaysian society. When it fits the fancy of the same authority especially when elections or Lunar New Year are near, they are exemplified for their multi racial outlook and the multi cultural practices.

The time has come to call for greater recognition for the community besides the casual complimentary.

There is a popular Baba and Nyonya Museum operated by Chan Kim Lay and his family in Malacca. It is a favorite with tourists who are willing to pay top dollars to see first hand culture, handi works and architecture associated with the peranakan. In the late 90s there were talks about a Jabatan Museum project to build a similar Peranakan Museum along the same Heeren Street. Nothing came out of it and as we all know now -Singapore has beaten us to it.

It is not an exaggeration if we consider this seemingly "oversight" a tip of the iceberg. We have new archeological finds and reveal fascinating insights about 'A Famosa' fortress and its two unearthed Portuguese bastions in Malacca. Yet Jabatan Muzium and the state government enthusiasm is found wanting. Lembah Bujang, Kedah with its 1000 year old cendis around Gunung Jerai are left neglected although conservationists have acknowledged that Lembah Bujang is in the same league with Angkor Wat and Borobodur. However, no proper recognition or planning is forthcoming and this historical treasure is just accorded a brief mention in tour itinenaries, if at all.

Malaysians should not lament that Malaysia has not historical attractions to offer. The truth is the Ministry responsible for our heritage and culture are NOT bold enough to embrace the wealth that our multicultural and multi racial society has to offer. It continues to hide under a bigoted 'turtle shell' that brushed aside the multi-ethnicity and historical treasures laying idle across the country.

April 24, 2008

Related Reading

Singapore pays tribute to Peranakan culture with new museum.
The Star Apr. 24, 08

By DEEPIKA SHETTY
A new Peranakan museum in Singapore showcases more than 1,200 items of Straits Chinese artefacts and tells the stories behind them. MUSEUMS are much more than about items on display these days. They are about the stories behind the things as well.

Take the S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, which opens this Saturday in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street. Work on it started just over two years ago.
The S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street, Singapore.

The world’s most comprehensive collection of Straits Chinese, or Peranakan artefacts, it contains more than 1,200 items showcasing this unique South-East Asian culture.
The Peranakan community began with early Chinese immigrants in Malacca, Penang and Java adopting local customs and marrying local Malay women.

Peranakans, famed for sarong kebaya (embroidered blouse-and-batik ensemble), kueh (cake) and feisty bibik (matriarch), began to live a blend of Malay and Chinese lifestyles peppered with British and Dutch influences. The items on show reflect these influences and range from intricately beaded shoes to a grand wedding bed. Also on display is the largest Peranakan beadwork tablecloth, created using one million beads.
The treasures are often all the more precious for their “true blue” individual histories.

That is something Dr Kenson Kwok, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum which is developing and operating the Peranakan Museum project, can attest to.
Late 19th or early 20th century Peranakan bridal garment made of silk and gold thread.

About 10 years ago when a visitor from Penang walked into his office asking for him, Dr Kwok almost turned her away.

“She said her mother had all these nyonya things which she wanted to give to the museum,” he says. He adds with a laugh that he was not convinced and did not take her seriously at first.
At that time, the Asian Civilisations Museum had only a small section devoted to the Straits Chinese past. But the woman was persistent and urged him to fly to Penang to take a look at some of the work.

“I flew to Penang and the minute I saw the kamcheng (covered container which the Peranakans used to store and serve food, water or pickles), I knew we had something special.
“It was so precious that I hand-carried it back to Singapore. It weighs more than 5kg and I had it on my lap all through,” he says.

Today, the kamcheng, which dates back to the late 19th century and is worth over S$100,000 (RM230,000), occupies pride of place in the Food and Feasting Gallery of the Peranakan Museum – one of 10 themed galleries housed in the building. These are spread over a floor area of 4,000sqm with a display space of 1,500sqm.

Also in the Food and Feasting gallery is a set of eight dining chairs with English-style carving which would have been done by Chinese craftsmen, and which Dr Kwok found in a junk shop toilet. “We managed to find a full set and they were in pretty good condition,” he says.

However, the museum is not just about viewing displays, but having hands-on involvement as well. Some exhibits include interactive components. These include touchable displays at a Peranakan kitchen, wedding and beading activities, and a multimedia activity where children can dress up in Peranakan costume electronically.

The museum’s galleries range from one devoted to weddings to others that cover the process of growing up, religious beliefs, food and feasting, conversations and public life. The Bim Poh Lenggang(ceremonial handkerchief) used during the traditional 12-day Peranakan wedding. The bride wore the handkerchief by wearing the ring around the fourth finger of her left hand.

Visitors will get an insight into a traditional Peranakan wedding – an elaborate 12-day affair filled with rituals and ceremonies – and also of the chiu thau ceremony, a rite of purification and initiation into adulthood, for example.

The museum wants to engage people of all ages. Says curator Randall Ee: “We want people to live through those times.” – The Straits Times, Singapore / Asia News Network
For more information, go to www.peranakanmuseum.sg.