History of the Singaporean Baweanese

I read about the history of Singaporean Baweanese in the book entitled "Singapore The Encyclopedia". I bought this book from Borders about few months ago. It is an interesting book full of information about Singapore. Personally, I think every Singaporean should own this book.

The book wrote an accurate account about the lives of the early Baweanese settlers in Singapore. It clarifies that the Baweanese were immigrants who set their foot in this Sunny Island. The book shows a photograph of a group of early Baweanese living in Singapore in 1910. They look very much like any other native Indonesian people. Obviously they are not Malays.

Majority of the Singaporean Chinese, Indians, Eurasions as well as some Malays always assume that the Baweanese are Malays because they communicate in Malay language and learn Bahasa Melayu in National School as their mother tongue. As I had explained in my previous post, the Malay language has been widely spoken by the Baweanese since the colonial days because it is the language of the Malays who are the indigenous people of Singapore. It is also because they embraced the same religion as the Bawean people.

After Singapore's independence, there is a valid reason for the Baweanese to communicate in Malay language -it is the National Language of Singapore. Today, the Malay language is spoken widely by the Singaporean Baweanese with several Baweanese words in it.

According to the book, "Singapore The Encyclopedia", the Singaporean Baweanese are the descendent of migrants from the Indonesian island of Bawean and their ancestors constitute the third-largest immigrant population of Singapore's Malay community. The book continues to describe the early Baweanese who came to Singapore. It wrote that the first Baweanese are thought to have come to Singapore in 1824 on a BUGIS ship. Below is an excerpt of the written facts in the Book about the Baweanese.

"...According to an 1849 census,there were 763 Boyanese, mostly men, in Singapore. The numbers increased gradually due to continuous immigration prior to World War II; however entry was more strictly controlled in the post-war period, especially after the implementation of the Citizenships Ordinance in 1957.

The present Boyanese population is mostly made up of the descendants of these earlier immigrants. According to the 2000 population census, there are 51,849 Boyanese in Singapore. A notable aspect of Boyanese culture is the tradition of merantau, the migration of men from the island in search of work. Historically, the Boyansese migrated to Singapore from Bawean Island in Indonesia in search of urban, waged work.

From the onset, the Boyanese settled in Kampung Boyan, at the bank of the Rochor River between Jalan Besar and Syed Alwi Road. They organized themselves into Pondok or Ponthuk (communal lodging house) communities where they formed a social structure that ensured that their welfare was taken care of until they were economically secure to set up their own home. These houses usually catered for groups of migrants who came from the same district of village.

Houses were also located in other parts of the city, including Pondok Adam at Ann Siang Hill, Pondok Teluk Dulam at Dixon Road and Pondok Dedawang at Sophia Road. The Boyanese were also among the early residents of Serangoon Road. Some of them established themselved in an area call Kampung Kapor, which was west of Kampung Boyan..."

Buy the book "Singapore The Encyclopedia" to read more. And yes, Kampong Kapor is the area at Jalan Besar in the vicinity of Little India -the area where I was born and spend my childhood life. This will be the theme in my next post.