The Baweanese in Kampong Kapor

My late father used to have a hobby that is useful to this blog. He collected photos of his family, relatives and friends. The photos were kept neatly and arranged nicely in an album. Thanks to him that now I am able to share some of the photos -the Bawean people living in Singapore during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The photographs below depict the lives of the Baweanese living at Kampong Kapor, the Bawean Village in the Little India area.

 In the 1950, 1960s and 1970s, studio photo taking was very popular.
Above is the photograph of my paternal aunties and uncle-in-law.

Kebaya with Sarong Batik is the traditional attire of the Baweanese women
-the typical traditional clothing of any other Indonesian ethnic groups.
Above is the photograph of my paternal aunties and relatives.

During occasions such as Wedding, Aqiqah, and other celebrations whereby lots of guests were invited, pondok men helped out with the preparation of drinks while pondok women helped the host with the cooking of food. In the above photograph, my Dad with his group of friends were helping out with the serving of drinks.

The female guests were welcomed by pondok women via the back lane entrance. During the feast, the guests sat on the floor. In the above photograph, my Mom with other female guests were having dinner at the rear area of the pondok. They were sitting on the floor, enjoying the food together.

 

The male guests were welcomed by pondok men at the front entrance. They were served at the front most part of the pondok, i.e. the living room. Notice the similarity between the culture of Arab Muslims and the Bawean people in Singapore during feast as depicted in the photographs above. The men were separated from the women. They sat on the floor instead of dining table. They used their right hand to eat, sharing a tray full of food in a group of four or six.