A Fusion of Cultures: The Colourful Minorities of Malaysia

Much has been said and written about Malaysia's cultural melting pot. While some communities were formed through interracial marriages, or through historical circumstances, others largely preserved their traditions through the strength of their faith. In this article, we take a look at some of the unique characteristics of the Straits Chinese, Chittys, Portuguese Eurasians and Punjabis.

DESCRIBING THE NYONYA STYLE

The Straits Chinese of Malaysia, also dubbed the Baba Nyonya or Peranakan Cina, are known, among other things, for their penchant for beautiful things.

Examine a piece of antique Nyonya jewellery up close, and you will first notice a proliferation of detail - every space on the jewel will be filled with designs and motifs, sometimes almost to the point of chaos. Great skill in craftsmanship is necessary to achieve the intricacy required to fulfil this Baba ideal of halus or fineness, and to the Straits Chinese, the best objects were those displaying the craftsman's talent in miniaturisation and detail. What it boils down to is that their brand of aesthetics can be described as the direct opposite of that of the minimalist school of thought.

This love for detail also applies to traditional Nyonya attire - particularly the kebaya. Nyonya dress evolved over time from its early days as the long, loose fitting and rather staid baju panjang, worn with a kain chaylay sarong, to the elegant, form-fitting baju kebaya and its batik sarong.

Most Nyonya kebayas seen today feature a delicate needlework technique called cutwork or tebuk lubang, which is customarily applied to the collar, lapels, cuffs and hem of the blouse, as well as the two triangular front panels known as the lapik, which fall over the hips. In cutwork, the outlines of a pattern are sewn in satin stitch on cloth, and the cloth enclosed by the outlines is cut away and discarded, leaving a rich, lace-like embroidery.

The design of the embroidery on a Nyonya kebaya is limited only by the imagination of the tailor. While flowers - in a bewildering range of colours and varieties - remain the most popular motifs, creative tailors have incorporated insects, animals, birds, musical instruments, spider's webs and even people into the needlework of this very feminine blouse.

Baju kebaya is usually made of European voile or kasar rubia -- a sheer, lightweight cotton fabric -- although some of the more modern kebayas are made of organdie, organza or sheer polyester to keep costs down, as voile is an expensive textile. Many Nyonyas wear a cotton inner garment called the baju dalam under their kebayas. The baju dalam is often white (though the colour may be chosen to match the kebaya) and sometimes just as richly embroidered as the kebaya, reflecting the Peranakan predilection for layered textures - the superimposition of one design over another.

Completing the Look

The Nyonyas have been wearing the batik sarong since the birth of their culture, and the print most often associated with them is batik Pekalongan. Also called batik Cina or Chinese batik, this print incorporates flowing floral, animal and geometric patterns in bright hues reminiscent of the sophisticated colour combinations favoured by the Chinese during the Qing dynasty: peach pink, royal blue, saffron yellow, lush purple, crimson, viridian and leek green.

As the kebaya blouse opens in front and doesn't have any fastenings, kerongsang or brooches are used for that purpose. These brooches usually come in a set of three, and are sometimes connected to each other by fine links of chains: these are called kerongsang rantai or chain brooches. Nyonyas also wore silver belts with large, oval buckles called pending to keep their batik sarongs from unravelling.

Besides the essential kerongsang and silver belt, a Nyonya in the old days would never appear in public without her jewellery: necklace, earrings, bracelets, bangles, rings, anklets and a few cucuk sanggul (or hairpins) in her chignon! The final touch to this elaborate ensemble would be to slip dainty feet into a pair of kasut manik or beaded slippers, of whose creation is an art in itself.

The Nyonya kebaya is not only a fashion icon that to this day remains popular with Malaysian women and designers from around the world. It is part of the legacy of the Straits Chinese -- their contribution to Malaysia's rich cultural heritage.

A FIERY FUSION OF FLAVOURS

If you take a walk through the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca today, you will find no visible indication of the colourful culture of the Portuguese Eurasians; for their homes and buildings are built in the modern style, and they reserve their traditional dress for festivals such as the Festa San Juang and Festa San Pedro.

However, if you have the good fortune to be invited into a Portuguese Eurasian home for a meal, you may literally be able to immerse yourself in an aspect of their culture that is still very much alive and evident today: Cristang food. If your host is keen to give you a sample of authentic Eurasian home cooking, you will no doubt have the chance to blissfully burn your tongue with her version of the famous spicy curry debal, also known as devil curry.

It is rather difficult to persuade Eurasian women to share their prized family recipes, as most of them, like the Nyonyas, guard the recipes jealously, and only pass the knowledge to their daughters or favourite daughters-in law. Each woman's recipe for the same dish is different, resulting in subtle differences in taste, but two essential ingredients in devil curry are vinegar, which gives the dish its piquant flavour, and lots of dried chilli, of course!

Original Portuguese dishes have been modified over the years to adapt to the availability of local ingredients and adjusted to suit tastebuds that gradually acquired a liking for Malaysian flavours, particularly the hot and spicy, resulting in a delicious fusion of the East and the West. Chiefly a seafaring community similar to the fishing community of Portugal, and due to their proximity to the sea, many Cristang condiments are seafood-derived.

Among more popular condiments produced by this community are the pickled salt fish or acar ikan, pickled fish roe and the signature Malaccan food, cincaluk (krill fermented in salt and wine), as well as the notoriously pungent belacan (dried shrimp paste), which is reputed to be the best in Malaysia.

Cristang cuisine has naturally taken cues from Chinese, Indian, Malay and Nyonya cooking, resulting in unique dishes such as the exotically named pesce curry mangga (mango fish curry) and porku tambreneu (tamarind pork); semur (ox tongue and beef stew), feng (pig offal stew), and teem (trotters with preserved Chinese mustard); the labour-intensive ayam buah keluak (black nut chicken), and another famous Eurasian dish, chicken kapitan.

Besides the inevitable local influence, Portuguese Eurasian cuisine also draws inspiration from the Dutch and British. Dishes such as the Dutch-influenced Bergedel (potato patties with ground beef) and traditional British favourites oxtail stew, chicken potpie and scotch eggs are popular as well. And in the afternoon, the British institution of teatime is practised with gusto, and the Eurasians enjoy treats like treacle tarts, scones, macaroons, bread pudding and butter cake with hot English tea, along with the more familiar curry puffs and prawn sambal sandwiches. Sugee cake, made with cornmeal and almonds, is another teatime favourite and is the cake of choice for Eurasian weddings.

THE PUNJABI SIKH IDENTITY

Outside their relatively small community, not much is known about the Punjabis and their primary religion, Sikhism. However, theirs is a group that, by virtue of their numbers, has been able to maintain close ties with each other and preserve their rich, colourful culture. Every Sikh child is tutored in the Punjabi language, and is therefore able to understand the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Sikh holy book.

It is said that in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth of the ten Gurus of the Sikh religion, coined new names for the followers: Singh -- meaning Lion -- for men, and Kaur -- meaning princess --for women, to emphasise fellowship among the Sikhs and equality between the genders. From then on every Sikh was at all times to wear the 5 kakaars, or articles of faith, which serve to remind them of the ideals of their religion:

Unshorn hair or kes is believed to be a living part of the body, and that shaving or cutting means interfering with nature. Those who have gone through the Sikh baptism or Amrit Sanchaar are required to wear a short turban called keski.

The small, wooden comb called the kangha, is used to keep the hair well-groomed, and represents discipline.

Loose cotton drawers called kachh, which are comfortable, decent and practical, allows the body to move freely and function efficiently.

A steel bangle called the kara, which, as the most visible of the 5 kakaars, reminds the Sikh of his/her pledge and commitment to the Guru.

And finally, the article that has raised some controversy in other countries, the sword or dagger called the kirpan, which reminds a Sikh of his/her responsibility to uphold justice.

Another well-known symbol of the Sikh faith is the turban or dastaar. The Sikh turban has a distinct difference in appearance compared to those of other cultures. Contrary to popular belief, turbans may be worn by both sexes, although few women do so, choosing instead to use shawls to cover their hair.

Punjabi Flavours

It is not generally acknowledged, but some aspects of Punjabi culture have slipped into Malaysian and international pop culture. Many Indian and mamak (Indian Muslim) restaurants and stalls in Malaysia serve chapatti (flat bread made with wheat flour) as well as tandoori chicken and naan (spiced chicken and flat bread cooked in a deep clay oven called a tandoor). Meanwhile, in the UK, chicken tikka masala is so wildly popular that some quarters have hailed it as "Britain's true national dish".

Bhangra, a lively form of traditional folk music and dance from Punjab, has enjoyed success in western music charts, which in turn have a heavy influence on the Malaysian mainstream music scene. Samples of hip-swivelling bhangra beats have been fused with R&B, rap and hip-hop, and appearing in the music of international singers such as Craig David, Missy Elliot and Britney Spears. While traditionalists say that bhangra fusion does not help to preserve Punjabi culture, there's no denying that it has at least helped to bring an aspect of this close-knit community to the attention of the world.

PLEASING ADAPTATIONS

The Chittys or Straits-born Indians of Malacca seem a charming puzzle at times. Through centuries of cross-cultural marriage, many of them no longer look purely Indian, but often have a mixture of Chinese, Indian and Malay features. All Chittys speak Malay, and have adapted elements of Malay dress, superstition and cuisine into their own culture.

Like the Straits Chinese women or Nyonyas, Chitty women traditionally wear kebayas and batik sarongs as their daily dress. Of course, there are some differences between the kebayas worn by the Indian and Chinese Peranakans.

The rather pious Chittys generally favour opaque material for their kebayas compared to the Nyonyas, who prefer translucent voile. Chitty kebayas also tend to be plainer, with subtle embroidery or none at all - unlike Nyonya kebayas, which are often embellished with comparatively lavish needlework. Another difference is that Chitty women wear kebaya labuh (long kebaya) as well as kebaya pendek (the hip-length kebaya favoured by the Nyonyas).

The jewellery worn by Chitty women feature floral and geometric motifs, and this applies to their batik sarongs as well. Like the Nyonyas, they wear cucuk sanggul in their hair and kerongsang with their kebayas, but they also wear the bindi, a colourful marking on the forehead worn by all Hindu women. Some Chitty women also sling a binpoh or handkerchief over their shoulder.

A Culture in Decline

The Chitty community of Malacca are a fairly shy and retiring lot, and what we know of their culture is rather limited due to a lack of documentation throughout their 600-year history. Much of the information available today is gleaned from the memories of the residents of Kampung Chitty, and through observation.

The Chittys number less than a thousand in Kampung Tujuh - also known as Kampung Chitty - and this number is declining. In the meantime, the story of the Chittys surfaces slowly, bit by bit, as this little community opens itself more to the curious eyes of the world - and we can only hope that they continue striving to preserve their most colourful culture, lest it fade away completely.