Peranakan Pink Runner

This is a Peranakan or Straits Chinese runner that I bought from a local antique store in Amoy Street.  It features playful dog-lions. 





The Peranakan Chinese (Peranakans) is an acculturated Chinese population residing in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Phuket. They are more commonly referred to as the Babas and Nonyas (Nyonyas) in Penang. They were also referred to as the Straits-born Chinese or Straits Chinese who were predominantly British citizens prior to Malaya’s independence, in differentiation from their contemporary new Chinese immigrants (sinkehs), in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
Although there were Peranakan Chinese communities in Indonesia centuries earlier, the Peranakan material culture as we know of today was derived from the Peranakans who evolved in this region from the mid-18th century. There is no documented significant permanent Chinese population in Portuguese Malacca and a significant number of Chinese immigrants from South China only began to migrate to Malacca in the 1750’s coinciding with the relaxation of Chinese travel laws by the Emperor Qianlong in 1754. These early Chinese immigrants would likely to have taken regional native women, some of whom were bought as slaves, as their spouses. In Penang, early Chinese settlers from Kedah had followed Francis Light to Prince of Wales Island upon its establishment in 1786. Similarly in 1819 when Stamford Raffles ‘founded’ Singapore, the initial Chinese settlers had moved from Dutch Malacca which was in a state of economic decline.
As the local Chinese population became established and grew in numbers, their children would inter-marry giving rise to a recognisable Peranakan community. The Chinese immigrants who arrived later, up to the early 20th century, would marry the daughters of Peranakan families, frequently in a matrilocal arrangement, and became assimilated into the Peranakan fold. By the turn of the 20th century, there was increasing exposure to the education and language of the colonial rulers resulting in the Anglicisation of the Peranakan Chinese population in pre-independent Malaya.

This gradual evolution of the immigrant Chinese from the mid-18th to the early 20th century resulted in the development of an interesting and unique community which is inherently Chinese in their traditional religious beliefs and practices but incorporating indigenous social habits, culinary tastes and costumes, pari passu with the development of a hybridised Malay-Chinese (mainly Hokkien dialect) mode of communication which is known as Baba or Malay patois today. In Penang, the incorporation of Malay words into the Penang Hokkien dialect has also given rise to a unique spoken language by the babas and nonyas there. Eventually the increasing exposure to European influences led to the use of English as their lingua franca and the mass conversion of Malacca and Singapore Peranakans to Christianity.

http://www.phoenixandpeony.com/index.php

Burmese Antique Vest

This very finely woven Burmese (Chin) tribal vest is bought from a local antique dealer, Percy Veloo and it hangs on an antique loom stick. 

The Chin ethnic group consists of about 50 subgroups, and whilst each shares common customs, there is a degree of variation among them. Textiles passed down the family — memories of weddings and other important events — are considered treasured possessions but may be sold by families during difficult financial times.

Different motifs represent the wearer’s status, signifying whether someone is married or what position they have in the village hierarchy. For example, a young woman dressed in traditional designs, signifies that she is open to being.

The Chin is a Sino-Tibetan race, thought to have descended from central China. Within Burma, this little known people predominantly inhabit Chin State, which is located in the mountainous north-west of the country, bordering Bangladesh (to the west) and India (to the north). It is estimated that approximately half a million Chin live within Chin State, with an additional one million living inside Bangladesh and India. There is a concentration of Chin living on the Indo-Burman border, in a place known as Chinland.

The Chin don't recognize the name Chin and prefer to be referred to after their individual tribes, which include the Asho, Cho, Khumi, Kuki, Laimi, Lushai and Zomi tribes. It is said that the name Chin is similar in pronunciation to the Burmese word for basket and that the Burmese used the name for the people because of the baskets they often carry. In contrast, it is written that Chin means companion in Burmese and the terms "Chin" and "Chindwin" are mentioned in the Pagan inscriptions from the beginning of the 13th century AD.

Vietnam Hmong Tribal Cloths

This Vietnam hill tribe cotton throw is in perfect harmony in a cormer where I displayed other tribal artefacts such as a Burmese basket, tribal shield and tribal drum.

Similarly the beaded cloth above gives a nice touch to the railings leading to the garden.

For centuries clothing colour and style has been used to distinguish and name Hmong subgroups. Hence each Hmong group has certain characteristics eg Red, Black, Green or Flower Hmong but within each of these groups there is a huge variety in clothing style from one village to another.

The Hmong are famous for their embroidery and also batik which is seen in the wide variety of costumes seen throughout Northern Vietnam. 

Antique Chinese Gold & Silver Thread Sleeve Band

This is a rare antique Chinese sleeve band with gold and silver thread emboidery. I bought this from Holland Village Shopping Centre, Singapore.  It once formed part of the costume like the one below.  You can see the details in the close up picture.

In the foreground is a antique celadon censer that goes well with the embroidery.

Embroidery is a very long established art form in China.  It was never classified as a solely female activity and men and women have both been involved in embroidery. 

The items embroidered are quite diverse and include robes, theatrical costumes, purses, shoes, spectacle cases, banners, alter cloths and many other pieces.  Some of the pieces were so finely stitched that the pieces took 5-6 people several years to complete. 

Embroidery was also used as a means of decorating silk clothing and for silk flags and banners as a means of denoting rank or station. 

The finest pieces of work were very expensive.  Gradually, embroidery developed, as a pastime for wealthy ladies and many members of the court were renowned for their intricate work.

Sumba Indonesia Shell Panel

The beautiful Sumba textiles with cowry shells make wonderful outdoor textiles.  I picked them up from local Singapore furniture shops selling Indoesian teak furniture.

Before colonization, Sumba island was inhabited by several small ethnolinguistic groups, some of which may have had tributary relations to the Majapahit Empire. In 1522 the first ships from Europe arrived, and by 1866 Sumba belonged to the Dutch East Indies, although the island did not come under real Dutch administration until the twentieth century.

The Sumbanese people speak a variety of closely related Austronesian languages and have a mixture of Malay and Melanesian ancestry. Twenty-five to thirty percent of the population practises the animist Marapu religion. The remainder are Christian, a majority being Dutch Calvinist, but a substantial minority being Roman Catholic. A small number of Sunni Muslims can be found along the coastal areas.

Despite the influx of western religions, Sumba is one of the few places in the world in which megalithic burials are used as a 'living tradition' to inter prominent individuals when they die. Burial in megaliths is a practice that was used in many parts of the world during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, but has survived to this day in Sumba (mainly at West Sumba).

Peranakan Silver Bed Curtain Hooks with Belt

Here is a pair of about 100 Over Years Old Silver Bed's Curtain Hooks with fabric belt with gold color flowers motif partly gold plated string, and with some metal leaves with chain at the bottom.  Hooks had probably been painted black and mostly came off.  Not sure of the percentage of the Silver(probably low silver)?.  Most probably used by Peranakan/ Straits chinese during that period.  Length and Width with Belt: about 66cm by 7cm each, total weight: about 190g.  The pictures shown views and parts of the items.  Belts will be sent in folding condition.

I got a local antique dealer to restore the piece and after framing it, it looks simply gorgeous.  I bought this on eBay.

Baba Byonya (Peranakan, the term used popularly for descendants of early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang, and the Dutch controlled island of Java among other areas, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities.

The word of Peranakan, is also used commonly to describe Indonesia Chinese. In both BM & Bahasa Indonesia, Peranakan” means descendant. Baba refer to the male descendants and Nyonya the female. Most Peranakanare of Hokkein ancestry, although a fair denomination of them are of the Teocheww or Cantonese descent. The language of the Peranakan, Baba Malay (Bahasa Melayu Baba), is a dialect of the Malay Language which contains many Hokkein works.

The Nyonya Baba were partially assimilated into the Malay culture, especially in food, dress and language used, while retaining some of the Chinese traditions and culture, like religion, name, folk medicine and festival celebrations, thereby creating a new kind of mixed culture of their country of origin with local, among those, like “Nyonya cuisine “ has developed the spices of Malay cuisine, examples are curry recipe cooking, Inchi Kabin, Chicken Kapitan, fried or cry chicken & sea foods, with local spicy & spicery. Wearring the Baju Kebaya. Most of the Peranakan are not Muslim, but have retained the ancestral worship tradition of the Chinese, especially of their wedding ceremony is largely based upon the Chinese tradition.

http://www.jonker88.com/?q=history_of_nyonya_baba

Peranakan Chair Cover

This beautifully embroidered Peranakan chair cover that I bought from a local Singapore antique store was covered in dust and in a sorry state when I found it.  After dry cleaning, it looked spectacular!  It has 3D embroidery which caused many parts of the objects to pop out.  Its use of gold thread made it look particularly luxurious.  I displayed it on a towel rack.

 

This is another chair cover and I bought this from Katong Antique Shop, Singapore.  It is an amazing shop selling all sorts of Peranakan antiques. 

In the foregound is a pair of antique hairpins that I bought from the Philippines and it came from the southern islands of Mindanao. The Celadon vase is from Sisters' Dream, Singapore.

Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era.  Members of this community in Melaka address themselves as "Nyonya Baba" instead of "Baba-Nyonya". Nyonya is the term for the ladies and Baba for the gentlemen. 

They were the elites of  Singapore, more loyal to the British than to China. Most have lived for generations along the Straits of Malacca and not all intermarried with the local natives. 

Chin Burma Shoulder Cloth

I bought this Chin textile from a Singapore textile antquie dealer.  It has beads and silver bell at both ends of the shoulder cloth.  It can be used as a throw, table runner or rug or hung up on a textile hanger.


The textiles of the Chin peoples of western Myanmar (Burma) are of extreme high quality and intricacies.

Textiles play a central role in Chin social life, illustrating an individual's success in achieving merit in this life and the next through worldly activities such as hosting feasts and bagging big game.

For the Chin, textiles signal the status of the wearer in several ways, playing their most dramatic role in the core Chin effort to achieve merit in this life and the next. Chin peoples have traditionally strived to distinguish themselves from their peers through accomplishments in hunting, war, wealth accumulation and feast giving. The textiles made and worn by the Chin announce those accomplishments through specific patterns reserved for the meritorious.

Chin weavers use a simple backstrap loom in which the warp is circular and continuous. They used
homegrown cotton, "flax" or hemp, often dyed with indigo or other locally produced natural dyes. The\Chin repertoire of weaving structures is broad and varies by division. Some of the more important structures employed by the Chin are warp-faced plain weave, weft-faced plain weave, twill, 1-faced supplementary weft patterning, 2-faced supplementary weft patterning, false embroidery and weft twining - an ancient textile structure that predates the use of heddles (the sets of parallel cords that compose the harness to guide warp threads in a loom).

http://www.huliq.com/4046/landmark-exhibition-of-asian-textiles-at-the-textile-museum

Indian Antique Saree Patchwork

I bought this spectacular textile from Cambodia which is made up of antique Indian wedding sarees. It has all sorts of beads and pearls and gold thread.   I got it framed up and it makes a great centre piece.  It also looks great at the staircase.

The above is another antique patchwork saree runner.

India Saree is the piece de resistance attire of Indian couture; an ever loved quintessence of wardrobe of women of all ages. This Indian ethnic attire has garnered attention when it comes to style, its charm has gone boundless, even a women from foreign lands loves to drape in Indian sari. Versatility of saree is something that makes this Indian traditional attire, a masterpiece with a unusual trait of adding extraordinary allure. Ladies are poured with mammoth of choices in fabrics, colour, designs, prints, embroideries and styles.

Peranakan Beaded Embroidery

I framed up this pair of embroideries back to back to form a stunning piece.  I bought this on eBay with local pick up.

These traditional decorative items are used in weddings by local born Chinese in Indonesia, Malaya and Singapore in the olden days. These decorations are tied around oil lamps. One part of the items is hand embroidered, while the rest is made up of sewn-together glass beads. Such excellent workmanship can hardly be found nowadays.  

Being a Peranakan (Malay term  which means “locally born”) I’m blessed to have an extremely rich heritage which draws from both Chinese traders from the 14th century to the 19th century who married the local womenfolk in Malaysia. Peranakans are famous for their elaborate decorations on furnishing and clothing.

Most Peranakan Chinese were originally living in Malacca and around the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra. However as the South East Asia developed many migrated to Penang and Singapore seeking greener pastures.

Laos Silk Scarf

Laos silk scarfs are great as drapes.  The red piece is an old piece that I bought at an antique store.  The yellow one is a new piece with zoomorphic designs.

Weaving, for daily use and for rituals, has been an integral part of life and culture in Laos for centuries. Most Lao village women learned the art of weaving and the traditional designs from their mothers when they were little girls.

Even now, every village home has a loom. The looms, with unique Lao weaving implements, and dye pots were taken into caves when the people fled, and thus survived even during wars and migrations.

There can be special patterns and colors for ceremonies, festivals and textiles used in daily life. Motifs represent the flora and fauna, mythical and real creatures and the beliefs of the people. The Lao are very skilled in many of the weaving traditions of Southeast Asia, using difficult and complex techniques sometimes in the same piece.

Long Laos Tapestry

A long Laos tapestry can be hung on a four poster bed to frame the bed nicely.  This is a new piece that I picked up in a local Singapore decor store.

Laos has a great tradition of using long tapestries for their festivals.

The tradition of Lao weaving dates back hundreds of years. Present-day hand weaving is not the norm in most parts of the world but in Laos the art survives. The skill is usually practiced by women as for generations the patterns have been handed down from mother to daughter. However, the war disrupted this process and sometimes now the weavers don’t understand the significance of the symbols they are weaving. As Laos opens up to increasing foreign influence even more of the tradition may be lost.

However, interest is being regained in the dying art. In some places the textiles actually have ritual significance and are still produced for temple offerings.