We visited the Riau Islands!
The highlight of 2022.
Hello semua, this is Firdaus here!
Hope you are all keeping well. We are almost towards the end of 2022, and it has been a particularly enriching period at Orang Laut SG, with our first trip to Batam and Pulau Terung in Riau. To start off, we’d like to thank those who donated their pre-loved items to the community – they were received with much gratitude.
During this trip, we sat down with Tok Hassan, my grandfather's cousin, who shared with me about my family, tales of World War II, fishing techniques, and the seasons of the sea. Tok Hassan, who spent most of his life between Singapore and Batam, revealed to me the mixed lineage of the Orang Pulau community.
We were also there to attend my cousin’s wedding and got to witness the entire island come together to prepare for it – the women making inai (henna) and cooking and chatting, the men collectively splitting coconuts and working together to set up shelter for the ceremony.
Although it was a short trip, we got to fish, catch some sotong nos with my brother, and forage in low tide with my cousin on a nearby island.
I found a siput mata lembu, admiring the hard, almost iridescent protein film that looks like a cow’s eye. They’re also referred to as siput bulan, as it resembles the moon. However, I was struck by the slim pickings in the shallow waters. According to my cousin, the islands have been over-picked in recent years due to the pandemic, as more people rely on foraging to secure some income.
Before the trip to Riau, I caught Pulau Ujong by Alfian Sa’at at Wild Rice. The play features a collection of verbatim interviews of various people involved in the environmental movement in Singapore, peppered in with poignant and humorous scenes featuring non-human characters like a banyan tree and Ah Meng (of Singapore Zoo fame)’s grandchild. It was strange at first to see Al-Matin Yatim play his interpretation of myself on stage, wearing similar clothes, gesturing with his hands similarly to me, and saying words I’ve said. But hearing the missions we have for Orang Laut SG, and the struggles the Orang Pulau community have historically faced and continues to feel the effects of, being spoken by somebody else, was an affirming moment for me. It was a timely reminder of why we do what we do in the first place: to reclaim our narratives and provide a voice for the community.
My interview was weaved in with the stories of other cultural workers whom I admire, like artist Zarina Muhammad advocating for more embodied ways of engaging with the natural world, food author Khir Johari teaching us about traditional zero-waste practices in the preparation of Malay Cuisine, and social media communicator Qiyun reflecting on the importance of collective action and communication between researchers and the masses. It was inspiring to see how each of us are approaching the enormous problem of climate change in ways that we are each called to, with the level of urgency that the situation requires.
On the sampan ride back to Pulau Terung after fishing in Riau waters, I noticed the nearby silhouette of Singapore’s skyline. As the sun set over the waters that connect all these islands, it struck me deeply how the boundaries between islands, and between nations are artificial. After seeing my family face displacement and resettlement against their wishes, I was grateful to see that our traditions and practices are kept alive by our family across the waters. Although it was a short trip, visiting Riau opened up new questions and ideas I hope to explore further in future trips.
In September this year, we also hosted our first-ever Atap Assembly at The Black Sampan. We were so happy to meet and get to know some of you better in a cosy setting!
For Di Sebalik Ombak, we laid out some carpets on our rooftop space for everyone to sit together and passed around some murukku. Attendees were treated to an extra special musical performance by artist and Malay culture advocate, Asnida Daud and her partner, Jeffery. As a descendant of Pulau Sudong, she sang songs and shared the lingo often used by our fellow islanders. We also heard lesser-known stories about Pulau Ubin from a descendant, Syazwan, and I shared some personal anecdotes about Pulau Semakau, where my family was from.
Atap Assembly is a monthly event for ground-up initiatives, artists, performers and individuals with a story to tell. Happening this week is another session of Atap Assembly that will feature some of the people behind Brown Is Redacted, such as Mysara, Kristian-Marc and Mish’aal.
Limited seats are available, but we’d love for you to join us this Friday, 9 Dec 2022 from 7pm to 9pm!
If you’d like to check out some of our documentation work that includes personal anecdotes, maritime artefacts and community voices, we will be participating in an upcoming art show at Starch, alongside a group of talented artists. We will be at the opening of the event on 10 Dec from 5pm to 10pm, so we hope to see you there. Admission is free!
As the year comes to a close, we’d like to thank you for sticking with us and sharing our stories. Mak Noni and Mak Ani, the sisters from Pulau Semakau would also like to extend their gratitude to you for your continuous support of their food, especially during this festive season! We appreciate you for bringing our food and stories into your homes.
Happy holidays and see you soon!
Best,
Firdaus
Hello! I am interested to know if you have anything on the Orang Laut original style of dress and where they would source the material for clothing themselves. Thank you