The Peranakan story: rich mixed heritage and culture

The Peranakans are a cultural and ethnic group with a mixed Chinese and Malay or Indonesian heritage.

The Peranakans are a cultural and ethnic group with a mixed Chinese and Malay or Indonesian heritage. They are also often referred to as the Straits Chinese, as many of these Peranakan were born in the former British colonies along the Straits of Malacca, which included Penang and Singapore. But as the term Peranakan generally refers to someone from a mixed marriage between a local and a foreigner, not all Peranakan are of Chinese ancestry Leo Suryadinata.Peranakan Chinese in a Globalizing Southeast Asia (Singapore: Chinese Heritage Centre and Baba House, 2010), 32-33.. There are several kinds of Peranakan, such as the Arab Peranakan, the Dutch Peranakan, Java Peranakan and Indian Peranakan. In most instances, however, the word Peranakan is used in reference to the Chinese group, as they are the largest and most culturally prominent.

Some Chinese immigrants settled in the Malay Archipelago as early as the 10th century, but significant numbers left the southern provinces of China between the 14th and 17th century under the influence of the trading and colonial activities of the British Empire. Many Chinese men left their home to work at the plantations or docks of the many shipping tycoons active in the East-Indies. Most of these immigrants started a new life in the British-controlled Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malaya and Malacca where they settled, married local women, and started families Khoo Joo Ee.The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History (Amsterdam: The Pepin Press, 1996), 23-24. These groups embraced the local cultures and customs, but still retained fundamental aspects of their ancestral culture. As a result, the Chinese Peranakan identity is a unique hybrid of Chinese and Nusantara cultures. Peranakan Chinese women are called nyonya and Peranakan men are known as baba. The Peranakan Chinese combine these two and commonly refer to themselves as Baba-Nyonya. Jaime Koh and Stephanie Ho.Culture and Customs of Singapore and Malaysia(Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press,2009), 3.

Due to their personal nature and hybrid identity, Peranakan practices and customs may differ from generation to generation and family to family. However, there are a few elements common to Peranakan culture. Good examples of these shared practices can be found in Peranakan cuisine and fashion. For example, the Peranakan kitchen, also known as nyona food, combines rempah spices and the use of coconut milk, clear Indonesian and Malay influences, with Chinese and Western cooking methods and ingredients. Notable is the regular incorporation of pork in nyonya dishes, an ingredient which is strictly forbidden in Malay cuisine. Peranakan fashion, with its distinct embroidery and intricate beadwork, is another important feature of Peranakan identity. The long, dresslike baju panjang and the more modern nyonya kebaya are beautifully decorated with embroidered elements, and often combined with equally elaborate slippers, known as kasut manek Khoo Joo Ee.The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History (Amsterdam: The Pepin Press, 1996), 208-210.. As Peranakan women were expected to excel at cooking and embroidery, the skill displayed in the design of these hand-beaded slippers acted as proof of an individual's technique and dexterity.

Over the centuries, the Peranakan have forged a strong identity and a beautiful material culture, each a blend of the traditions of their ancestors and the cultures they encountered. In turn, their culture and style has contributed to the development of Peranakan-inspired embroidery that spread through the East-Indies and beyond during the 19th and 20th century.