Peranakan Chinese

Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya (Chinese: 峇峇娘惹; Hokkien: Bā-bā Niû-liá) are terms used for the descendants of the very early immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java among other places, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort (chronological adaptation) to be assimilated into the local communities. While the term Peranakan is most commonly used for those of Chinese descent, who are also known as Straits Chinese (土生華人; named after the Straits Settlements), there are also other, comparatively small Peranakan communities, such as Indian Hindu Peranakans (Chitty), Indian Muslim Peranakans (Jawi Pekan) and Eurasian Peranakans (Kristang).

Baba House Museum in Malacca, Malaysia, an area where many Peranakan Straits Chinese lived.

In both Malay and Indonesian, 'Peranakan' means 'descendants'. Babas refer to the male descendants and the Nyonyas the female. The word nyonya (also commonly spelled nonya) may originate from the Portuguese word dona, which means 'lady'. The word Peranakan is also used to describe Chinese Indonesians.

Ancestry

Most Peranakan are of Hoklo (Hokkien) ancestry, although a sizable number are of Teochew or Cantonese descent. Originally, the Peranakan were part Chinese, part Malay, and part descended from the original inhabitants of Princess Hang Li Po of Malacca. Written records from the 19th and early 20th centuries show that Peranakan men usually took brides from within the local Peranakan community. Peranakan families also frequently imported brides from China and sent their daughters to China to find husbands.

Language

The language of the Peranakans, Baba Malay (Bahasa Melayu Baba), is a dialect of the Malay language (Bahasa Melayu), which contains many Hokkien words. It is a dying language, and its contemporary use is mainly limited to members of the older generation. English has now replaced Baba as the main language spoken at home amongst the younger generation.

In Indonesia, its use is limited to informal occasions, young Peranakans occasionally add up new words (and lose some words) for their own slang. Young peranakans can still speak their creole language, because the language is close to Bahasa Indonesia, the first language of the country, and because normally Indonesia's diverse ethnic groups speak in their mother tongue except for formal occasions. This holds true as well for the Javanese language where its existence has subsided to being an informal language, except for cultural events in Yogyakarta.

History

In the 15th century, the city-states of the Malay Peninsula often paid tribute to various kingdoms such as those of China and Siam. Close relations with China were established in the early 15th century during the reign of Parameswara when Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho), a Muslim Chinese, visited Malacca and Java. According to traditional accounts, in 1459 CE, the Emperor of China sent a princess, Hang Li Po, to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute. The royalty and servants who accompanied the princess initially settled in Bukit Cina and eventually grew into a class of straits-born Chinese known as the Peranakan.

The Peranakan retained most of their ethnic and religious origins (such as ancestor worship), but assimilated the language and culture of the Malays. They developed a unique culture and distinct foods. Numerous sources claim that the early Peranakan inter-married with the local Malay population; this might derive from the fact that some of the servants who settled in Bukit Cina who traveled to Malacca with the Admiral from Yunnan were Muslim Chinese. Other experts, however, see a general lack of physical resemblance, leading them to believe that the Peranakan Chinese ethnicity has hardly been diluted. Some Peranakan distinguish between Peranakan-Baba (those Peranakan with part Malay ancestry) from Peranakan (those without any Malay ancestry). The Peranakan often sent their sons and daughters to China to look for spouses. The religion of the local Malay population was Islam, which forbids inter-marriage with other religions without conversion first, although intermarriage may have sometimes occurred. In the early 1800s, new Chinese immigrants to the Straits Settlements bolstered the Peranakan population. In Indonesia a large population of Peranakans can be found in Tangerang, West Java.

Over the centuries, the Peranakans have evolved a unique culture that maintains many Chinese traditions, such as celebrating the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, while adopting the customs of the land they settled in, as well as those of their successive colonial rulers. There are traces of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Malay and Indonesian influences in Baba culture.

By the middle of the twentieth century, most Peranakan were English or Dutch educated, as a result of the Western colonization of Malaya and Indonesia, and of the propensity of these people to easily embrace new cultures. Because the Peranakans readily embraced English culture and education, administrative and civil service posts were often filled by prominent Straits Chinese. The interaction with the British and Dutch also caused many in the community to convert to Christianity. The Peranakan community thereby became very influential in Malacca and Singapore and were known also as the King's Chinese due to their perceived loyalty to the British Crown. Because of their interaction with different cultures and languages, most Peranakans were (and still are) trilingual, being able to converse in Chinese, Malay, and English. Common vocations were as merchants, traders, and general intermediaries between China, Malaya and the West; the latter were especially valued by the British and Dutch, since the Babas also enjoyed good relations with the Malay community and served as advisers to the royal Malay courts. In fact, the term "Baba" is an honorific term in Malay, probably derived from Hindi/Sanskrit Baba, which literally means grandfather or father, and is used as a term of reverence and affection for an elderly gentleman.

Associations

Associations of Chinese Peranakan include the Peranakan Association of Singapore and the Gunung Sayang Association, a performing arts group. The Peranakan Association has about 1700 members, and the Gunung Sayang has about 200 members. Although the Peranakan Association consists of a mix of young and old, the Gunung Sayang Association has primarily elderly or retired members. In Malacca, there is an Indian Peranakan Association known as the Chitty Melaka. This is a tightly knit community of . Chitty Peranakans display considerable similarity to Chinese Peranakans in terms of dressing, songs and folk dances.

Culture

Multichrome enamel porcelain tea tray with a traditional Peranakan fenghuang (Chinese phoenix) motif, c. 18th century

Historical and cultural items from the Baba culture are displayed in cultural establishments on Heeren Street, Jonker Street and other streets in the same neighborhood in Malacca and in Penang in Malaysia, and at the Peranakan Museum in Singapore. There one can find museums displaying furniture, food stuff, and even traditional clothes of the Baba and Nonya. There are also a small number of "Nyonya" restaurants in Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, and the West. Free weekly street shows featuring Baba performances, and traditional and pop Chinese cultural performances are found in Jonker Street in Malacca (Melaka). The shows are part of the night market (pasar malam) scene, and are usually crowded with shoppers, both local and foreign.

Ayam buah keluak, a traditional Peranakan dish

The Peranakans were partially assimilated into the Malay culture (especially in food, dress, and language), while retaining some Chinese traditions (religion, name, and ethnic identity), thereby creating a fusion culture of their own. For example, from the Malay influence a unique "Nyonya" cuisine has developed using typical Malay spices. Examples are Chicken Kapitan, a dry chicken curry, and Inchi Kabin, a Nyonya version of fried chicken. The women (Nyonyas) often wear the baju kebaya - a Malay garment seen most notably as the uniform of Malaysia and Singapore Airlines' female flight attendants - and beaded slippers called Kasut Manek. Traditionally this exquisitely-crafted footwear was hand-made, and worn by Noynyas. Making kasut manek required much patience, as in the past they are strung, beaded and sewn onto canvas with tiny faceted glass beads from Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). In modern times, glass beads from Japan are preferred. Traditional kasut manek design often have European floral subjects, with colors influenced by Peranakan porcelain and batik sarongs. They were made onto flats or bedroom slippers. But from the 1930s, modern shapes became popular and heels were added.

In Indonesia, the Peranakans develop their own Kebaya, most notably 'kebaya encim', and developed their own batik patterns, which incorporate symbols from China.

Proposals of marriage were made by a gift of a pinangan, a 2-tiered lacquered basket, to the intended bride's parents brought by a go-between who speaks on behalf of the suitor. Most Peranakans are not Muslim, and have retained the traditions of ancestor worship of the Chinese, though some converted to Christianity. The wedding ceremony of the Peranakan is largely based on Chinese tradition, and is one of the most colorful wedding ceremonies in Malaysia and Singapore. At weddings, the Dondang Sayang, a form of extempore rhyming song in Malay sung and danced by guests at the wedding party, was a highlight. Someone would begin a romantic theme which was carried on by others, each taking the floor in turn, dancing in slow gyrations as they sang. It required quick wit and repartee and often gave rise to laughter and applause when a particularly clever phrase was sung. The melodic accents of the Baba-Nonya and their particular turns of phrase lend to the charm of this performance.

Peranakan culture is disappearing in Malaysia and Singapore. Without colonial British support for their perceived racial neutrality, government policies in both countries following independence from the British have resulted in the assimilation of Peranakans back into mainstream Chinese culture. In Singapore, the Peranakans are classified as ethnically Chinese, so they receive formal instruction in Mandarin Chinese as a second language (in accordance with the "Mother Tongue Policy") instead of Malay. In Malaysia, the standardization of Malay as Bahasa Melayu — required for all ethnic groups — has led to a disappearance of the unique characteristics of Baba Malay.

In Indonesia, the peranakan culture is losing popularity to modern western culture, but to some degree Peranakans try to retain their language, cuisines and customs. Young Peranakans still speak their creole language, although many young women don't wear the kebaya, and marriages normally follow western culture.

The migration of some Peranakan families, particularly the well-to-do, has led to a small Peranakan diaspora to neighboring countries, from Vietnam to Australia. However, these communities are very small, and with the increasing use of the various languages in their respective countries, the use of Peranakan Malay or Baba Malay has been diluted.

Peranakans

Malaysia

• Tan Cheng Lock (Tun Dato Sir) - Founder and first President of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)
• Tun Tan Siew Sin - Third President of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)

In Singapore

• Candice Kimberlee Miller - Host of Kids Central's Programme "Has accomplished lots in life, role model to teens":
• Germaine Glenda Pereira
• Teri Yeo - Contestant of Campus Superstar Season 2
• Dick Lee - Celebrity pop singer, composer and playwright
• Wee Kim Wee - Fourth President of Singapore
• Edmond Wong - Coordinator of the petition for a Peranakan Town in Singapore
• Pierre Png - Mediacorp artiste

See also

• Chinese Filipino
• Chinese Indonesian
• Chitty
• Malaysian Chinese
• Overseas Chinese
• Sangley
• Thai Chinese
• The Little Nyonya

Further reading

• Lee Chin Koon: Mrs. Lee's Cookbook. Nonya Recipes and other favourite recipes.
• Mahmood, Datin Sari Endon: The Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese Costume, ISBN 0-7946-0273-8
• Rudolph, Jürgen (1998). Reconstructing Identities: A Social History of the Babas in Singapore. Singapore: Ashgate. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)costumes
• Khoo, Joo Ee (1998). The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The Pepin Press. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Interactive 360 X 360 degree VR preview of The Peranakan Museum
• The Peranakan Association of Singapore
• Singapore's Mother Tongue Policy
• Petition for a Peranakan Town in Singapore