People of Singapore Flashcards
Orang Seletar + etymology
«Straits people»
Indigenous sea nomads in the Straits
Orang Seletar and Malays
Distinct ethnic groups
Homes of the Orang Seletar
A boat protected by a thatched roof (triangular section)
Or occasionally some temporary pile-house
Etymology of Seletar
Portuguese for strait used to name Orang Seletar
When did the Orang Seletar leave Singapore
90s due to developments
Where do the Orang Seletar live now
None in Singapore but some in Johor Bahru
Number of non-residents
1,5M ~25%
Percentage of non-residents with EP
11% [top top]
Singapore population
6 millions (chopsticks)
Cost of a helper
450 to 750 depending on experience
Days off of a helper
Min 1 day/week
Many will also give 2 weeks every 2 years (home leave ticket is mandatory)
Majority of Arabs in Singapore are descended from: origin and last destination before
Hadhramaut region in Yemen
They already were in Indonesia when Singapore was funded
The King’s Chinese
The Straits Chinese that gave their support to the British (via British Chinese associations, etc.)
The first person in Malaya to be knighted
Song Ong Siang
Song Ong Siang’s 3 accomplishments
First person knighted in Malaysia
First Chinese lawyer in Singapore
Wrote «one hundred years’ history of the Chinese in Singapore»
The American that was canned
Michael Fay
Michael Fay’s sentence
6 strokes reduced to 4 after pression from Bill Clinton [sticks -> door]
Michael Fay’s crime
Theft and vandalizing 18 cars
Confessed and then retracted saying he was told confession would preclude caning
Ratio of Chinese men, women and prostitutes in SIN end XIX
60000 men
6000 women including 2000 prostitutes
Armenians in Singapore tended to work in
Hospitality
Jewelry
Law
Arabs in Singapore tended to work in
Retail and wholesale
Real estate
Muslim pilgrimage industry
Main provinces of origin of Singapore’s Chinese
Fujian
Guangdong (Canton province)
Order of arrivals of Chinese in Singapore
First, Straits Chinese from Malacca and Riau
Then South Chinese escaping poverty and instability
First Indians in Singapore
Gujaratis from Malacca and Penang
Gujaratis settled across the world to trade
Parsis
Zoroastrian merchants from India but originally from Iran
Enterprising and philanthropic
Hokkien philanthropist who gave his name to an hospital
Tan Tock Seng
Percentage of Singaporean population without a permanent status
30%
% of Singaporeans living in HDB
80%
Origin of the Teochews
Eastern Guangdong
Kiasu
Hokkien for fear of missing out, leading to anxious selfish attitude
= taking extreme measures to achieve success
Kiasi
Hokkien for fear of death
= taking extreme measures to avoid risk
Examples of kiasu (4)
- booking a table with tissue
- standing in line for hours for a gift
- volunteering at a school to get one’s child in
- queueing just because there’s a queue
What you say when you book a table with tissues
Chope
Beginning of the end of Chinese dialects in Singapore
The creation of the Republic of China created national consciousness and shift to Mandarin that extended to SIN
Parsis: etymology
Persian in the Persian language
Pickering
First Protector of Chinese
First Bristish officer who could speak and write Chinese
Tried to reduce abuse to coolies, secret society conflicts and prostitution
Important Malay sub-community
The Baweanese from Bawean island
Why is Geylang mainly Malay
With the construction of Kallang Airport, Malays living there (close to Kampong Glam) had to be relocated
Importance of
Kampong Glam for the Malay world
- Pilgrimage hub
- Intellectual and printing hub
Importance of Kampong Glam as a cultural hub
Allowed alternative Malay ideas to develop without the censorship that could exist in the rest of the Malay world
Become a hub of printing and publishing
Main Chinese ethnic groups in Singapore
Hokkien
Teochew
Cantonese
Hainanese
Hakka
