By SGN | 11 Dec 2023
Singapore is well-known as a multi-ethnic society comprising major communities including Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. Beyond these, however, are smaller sub-ethnic groups that add unique dimensions to our social fabric.
From arts and language to customs, food and more, here are five lesser-known communities that contribute to Singapore’s cultural undercurrents in meaningful ways.
1
Chetti Melaka
The Chetti Melaka, or Peranakan Indians, epitomise Singapore’s multiculturalism as their heritage and traditions intertwine Chinese, Malay, and Indian influences.
This is expressed in their native tongue, Chetti Creole, a Malay patois infused with Tamil and Mandarin; and in their traditional clothing which integrate textiles and design from Java, Sumatra and South India.
Their origins can be traced back to 15th-century Malacca, a bustling port in its time, which attracted traders from around the world.
Among them were South Indian traders, who married local Malay and Chinese women, establishing the Chetti Melaka community. Some would later come to settle in Singapore, pursuing economic opportunities as it flourished in the 19th century.
While the Chetti are known for honouring their Hindu heritage, they also embrace diverse traditions, faiths and customs. Instances of this include their mixed practice of Chetti-style Qing Ming, and the ritual Bhogi Pooja, ancestral prayers which incorporate Indian and Chinese elements.
This convergence also shapes Chetti cuisine. Their food shares many similarities to Nyonya fare – the highly flavourful cuisine of Chinese Peranakans that combines Chinese and Nusantara ingredients, spices and cooking methods – taking it a step further with distinct Indian inflections.
Local efforts to preserve this variation of Peranakan food are ongoing, with the launch of the world’s first Peranakan Indian cookbook: Heritage Food of the Peranakan Indians: In the Chitty Melaka Kitchen by the Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association Singapore and Allspice Institute.
2
Hakka
The Hakka are a unique Chinese dialect group who form approximately 8% of the Chinese population in Singapore. The name “Hakka” means “guest people” or “guest families,” reflecting their history as a migratory people.
Originating from the mountainous regions of Henan and Shanxi in northern China, their ancestors made great southward migrations during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. This nomadic spirit towards the tropics continued across generations, until some eventually arrived on Singapore’s shores.
Early Hakka settlers in Singapore thrived in agriculture, pawnbroking, and traditional medicine, the largest traditional Chinese medicine halls in the 1920s are said to be Hakka-owned. The late Aw Boon Haw, founder of Tiger Balm and Haw Par Villa, was one of the few influential community leaders who emerged in these fields.
Today, many of its nomadic traditions have faded, but Hakka culture has endured through its interpretations of Chinese calligraphy, painting, architecture, and more significantly through its cuisine.
Staples across Singapore’s food courts and eateries include Hakka classics like salt baked chicken, Lei Cha, and Yong Tau Foo, a quintessential Hakka reunion dinner dish featuring tofu stuffed with meat or fish paste.
To better preserve Hakka heritage, Ke Ju (客聚), a new Hakka village, is being built by one of Singapore’s oldest Chinese clan associations, the Char Yong (Dabu) Association.
Featuring terrace gardens inspired by the Hakka mountainscapes in China and a multi-storey pavilion symbolising the creeping fig, the new building will take the earthy form of a Hakka tu lou (土楼), a traditional fort-like and communal Hakka residence.
3
Malayalee
With roots in Kerala, India, the Malayalee are Singapore’s second largest Indian ethnic group, numbering around 26,000 today. Their earliest settlers, seafaring traders plying the spice routes, are thought to have predated Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in 1819.
Malayalam, the Malayalee language, is an echo of the community’s time-worn origins, and is often credited as a cultural marker and unifying force of the community. One of the oldest Dravidian languages still in use, its writing dates back to the 1300s, with literary works that are considered masterpieces of Indian poetry and drama.
A Malayalam newspaper – at one point, the only one published outside Kerala – survived in Singapore for almost five decades until 1988. While the language is no longer in local print, a rich oral tradition and the arts have kept it alive in Singapore.
The classical dance drama of Kathakali is one such cultural highlight. With origins in 17th-century temple rituals, Kathakali combines dance, music and elaborate costumes to enact Hindu epics. Featuring intricate hand gestures (mudras), facial expressions (rasas) and body movement, the art form has been likened to Peking Opera and Noh theatre.
Singapore’s Bhaskar’s Arts Academy troupe is the only troupe outside of India performing Kathakali. Between staging Indian epics and new interpretations of classical Indian dance, the troupe has also restaged plays from around the world to adapt to Singapore’s diverse and contemporary audiences.
These include the classic Chinese tale ‘The Butterfly Lovers’, Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ and ‘Marabu’, a trilogy which traces the passage and legacy of the Indian community in the Southeast Asian region.
4
Kristang
The Kristang, also known as the Malacca Portuguese, trace their origins to the Portuguese settlement in Malacca between the 16th and 17th centuries. As the port was a stronghold of the Portuguese Empire, intermarriage between Portuguese traders, sailors and soldiers with local Malay women gave rise to the uniquely blended Kristang culture.
The Kristang language, also called Papia Kristang, is recognised on UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Endangered Languages. It is a severely endangered Portuguese creole language that incorporates Malay and other Asian language elements to varying degrees.
To preserve and resuscitate the language, Kodrah Kristang, a non-profit initiative started in 2015, offers a structured core curriculum of eight modules, each comprising 10 lessons, amounting to a total of 160 hours of learning. Classes have drawn non-Eurasian learners, and even entire families looking to reconnect with their heritage.
These efforts have culminated in a Kristang online dictionary, Pinchah Kristang, which was launched in 2017, at the world’s 1st Kristang Language Festival held at Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum.
The Kristang are also known for their traditional music, dance, and cuisine, which fuse Portuguese and Asian influences. The Jinkli Nona, often performed at Kristang weddings and celebrations, blends Portuguese folk dance styles with the accompaniment of Malay musicians. It was most recently performed for broadcast during Singapore’s 2023’s National Day Parade.
5
Orang Laut
The Orang Laut, meaning ‘sea people’ in Malay, are nomadic sea gypsies that were organised into suku (tribal divisons across waters surrounding the Strait of Melaka.
They were an indigenous population that roamed and occupied the rivers and coasts of Singapore and various surrounding islands, from as early as the 7th century.
These masterful seafarers lived on their boats, sustaining themselves with food from the sea. They have played an influential role throughout Malay political history, guarding shipping lanes from pirates, and steering traders to port for the Svrijayan empire and the Melaka-Johor dynasty.
The last known Orang Laut settlement on Pulau Seking was removed in 1993 when the island was merged with Pulau Semakau to create a landfill. Resettlement and assimilation into the broader population since then have posed challenges for retaining unique cultural markers like language.
However, a resurgent interest from its youth and academics have re-established the community through the social media group and network, Orang Laut SG.
From documenting the narratives of the community’s old ways of life, it has subsequently expanded to dinners featuring the unique seafood culinary traditions of the Orang Laut, interviews, short-form documentaries and more.
Their most recent cultural event Panggilan Anak Pulau (Calling from Island Descendants), brought together more than 250 Singaporeans, primarily those of Southern Islander descent, to reconnect over maritime stories, knowledge, traditions, myths and food.
An upcoming landmark event, Hari Orang Pulau, or Islander’s Day, will be an entire weekend of celebrations in June 2024. Safe to say, their jiwa laut (spirit of the sea) lives on.
