Islanders’ Day celebrates the heritage of Singapore’s indigenous people
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The day-long festival on June 14, held by initiative Orang Laut SG, celebrated the culture and stories of Singapore’s coastal communities that once lived off the land and sea.
ST PHOTOS: MARK CHEONG
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SINGAPORE - A smattering of boats and shacks along a small coastal section of West Coast Park marks the last community space of Singapore’s indigenous Orang Laut, or sea people.
Gesturing at the docking point, a guide told attendees of Hari Orang Pulau, or Islanders’ Day, about threats – including the risk of development – faced by the space, which sits on state land.
The day-long festival on June 14, held by initiative Orang Laut SG, celebrated the culture and stories of Singapore’s coastal communities that once lived off the land and sea. Most of them were relocated to the mainland to make way for national development.
Braving the heat, dozens of people watched practitioners perform a martial art originating from Pulau Sudong, learnt maritime skills, and participated in a high-octane two-hour-long Joget Dangkong, a communal dance that was once common on special occasions in the Southern Islands.
People participate in a two-hour-long Joget Dangkong during Hari Orang Pulau, or Islanders’ Day, held at West Coast Park on June 14.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
“This is an important day for us because we want to make sure that our culture is not left in the textbooks,” said Mr Firdaus Sani, 37, who founded Orang Laut SG in 2020 to preserve the disappearing memories and heritage of Singapore’s seafaring folk.
The event was held at West Coast Park to highlight its importance as an embarking point for Southern Islanders when they first arrived in Singapore, added Mr Firdaus, whose maternal grandparents lived on Pulau Semakau until they were moved to the mainland in 1977.
Addressing an audience of former inhabitants of offshore islands and their descendants, Education Minister Desmond Lee said it was important for Singapore to understand its roots as the country moves forward, as such knowledge strengthens confidence in its identity and unique diversity.
The West Coast-Jurong West GRC MP announced that a work group will be set up for representatives of these indigenous groups to collaborate with government agencies, including the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore Land Authority as well as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
He said: “We are going to come together and work hand in hand with you... to see how we can further the initiatives, further the community building.”
Education Minister Desmond Lee speaking during Hari Orang Pulau, or Islanders’ Day, held at West Coast Park on June 14.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
There is a sense of urgency in recording the stories of offshore islanders now, as many of those with such memories were very young when they left the island, said speakers at the first panel of the day on the histories of Singapore’s islands.
National University of Singapore cultural geographer Hamzah Muzaini said: “You hear a lot about Jurong Island and how great it is as our energy and petrochemical complex, but we don’t hear about the cost that has come because of this development of the island.
“So, I think it is important to focus on these islands that have not really been spoken about much.”
The festival has also been a platform for former islanders to share their side of history.
Former Pulau Semakau islander Rohaini Rani, who taught participants southern islander cuisine, said she was surprised that people had asked about her history and life on the island, not just her dishes.
Participants learn how to make fish and pineapple soup during a southern islander cuisine workshop at Hari Orang Pulau on June 14.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Participants learn how to make fish and pineapple soup.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Speaking in Malay, the 70-year-old told participants that being moved to a flat felt like being trapped in a bird cage, but the relocation was said to be a necessary one back then.
“We had to ask neighbours for help to navigate the community,” she recalled.
Likewise, retired seamstress Tan Kue Lang, who had joined one of the festival’s guided tours on her personal mobility device, happily fielded questions from facilitators and attendees after they discovered that she had lived on Pulau Seraya, one of 14 islands reclaimed for Jurong Island.
The 71-year-old, whose family had lived on the island for three generations, said she had no regrets missing a trip to Jakarta for the festival.
Ms Tan said that she did not have a chance to bid farewell to her island home, as the Government reclaimed it in the 1970s when she was in confinement on the mainland after delivering her child.
The mother of three added: “If now the Government asks me to go back, I will go back.”
