Entertainment of Malay Immigrants

Source 1: A description of the Congkak game, commonly played by the Malays since the 19th century Singapore.

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Congkak is a popular game of logic played throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, with many adaptations. Known elsewhere as mancala, the version commonly played in the Malay Archipelago requires two players to share a wooden board with one row of seven holes along each side, and one bigger hole at either end. The two rows of seven holes are designated as “houses” in the “village” (kampong) while the last two larger holes serve as “storehouses”, although there are variations. Seeds are placed in each hole, and then redistributed according to the rules of the game. The objective is to gain as many seeds in one’s storehouse as possible.

Reference:

Tan, B. (2016). Congkak. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1733_2010-11-26.html?s=congkak

Source 2: A description of Gasing, a traditional game commonly played by the Malays in Singapore during the 19th century.

Gasing is a term that refers to both the Malay spinning top and the game of top spinning. Gasing was a popular game played in the kampongs (“villages” in Malay) of Singapore and Malaysia, especially among members of the Malay community. Competitive gasing is still played in Malaysia today. The gasing was said to have been a popular game among the Malays since the time of the Melakan Sultanate (now the state of Malacca in Malaysia) in the 15th century. In the past, the game was usually played at the end of the rice harvest when farmers had more time on their hands. Some people believe that the creation of the gasing is associated with the berembang tree, which grows near the sea. According to them, the shape of the berembang fruit enables it to be spun on its tip like a top. It is believed that the fruit’s unique shape inspired the creation of the gasing.

Reference:

Ho, S. (2013). Gasing. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_401_2004-12-09.html

Source 3: An extract of Wayang kulit, a traditional entertainment enjoyed by Malays in Colonial Singapore.

Wayang kulit is a form of traditional theatre in Southeast Asia.  The term wayang kulit literally means “shadows from hide”, and has a few meanings in the Southeast Asian context. In Indonesia, the term wayang kulit refers not only to the performance of a shadow play, but has also become synonymous with the hide puppets used to create the shadows.

The puppets in wayang kulit come in many sizes, depending on the characters they portray. Malay shadow play puppets typically measure at least 71 cm long and are at most 30.5 cm wide.5 A complete shadow theatre has between 160 and 200 puppets categorised into deities, warriors, ogres, hermits, monkeys, soldiers, princesses, weapons, animals and mountains. Most Malay shadow play characters only have one articulating limb, while a majority of Javanese and Balinese puppets have both arms articulated.

Wayang kulit is accompanied by the music of the gamelan. While the dalang is speaking, the gamelan is silent except when it provides rattles and clanks to emphasise a statement or word. Gamelan players respond and play music intuitively to the timing and narration by the dalang. The repertoire typically consists of an overture as well as specific music for battle scenes, travelling scenes, entrances and exits of characters and the parade of warriors.

Reference:

Salleh. E. (2018). Wayang kulit. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_193_2004-12-23.html?s=wayang

Source 4: A description of Galah Panjang a traditional game commonly played by the Malays since the 19th century in Singapore.

The popular traditional Malay game was typically played on a dirt field, where grid lines were drawn, or a badminton court. At least eight players – four attackers and four defenders – would be required to play galah panjang.

To start the game, the attacking players would have to be always within the boundary, where they could launch their offense individually or as a group, depending on their strategy. The leader of the defending team would guard the centre line whereas his members guarded each parallel line respectively.

The attackers would then try to breach the defensive lines without being touched by the defenders. He or she would be out of the game if touched. If at least one attacker managed to break through the defenders’ line, the attacking team would win the game, and the roles between the teams swapped.

Reference:

Remember Singapore (2018). Our Favourite Games of Yesteryears: Galah Panjang. Retrieved from https://remembersingapore.org/2018/01/27/traditional-games-of-yesteryears/

Source 5: A description of traditional Malay music enjoyed by the Malay community since the 19th century in Singapore.

Traditional Malay music can be traced back to the 19th century, where historic texts mention nobat (the royal orchestra that performs during coronation).

The asli genre is the basic idiom of traditional Malay music. Asli is often referred to as old traditional or semi-traditional music style or performance. It is said to be derived from the dondang sayang genre, with fixed lyrics. However, the performance is delivered in a highly improvised manner through the cengkok (melismatic notes) and subsequently the grenek (the ornamented style). In asli laggam, the melody is sung in unison with the violin throughout the performance of a song. In this genre of music, the violin is the most important instrument and is accompanied by an accordion or harmonium, knobbed gong, gendang (two-headed drum), rebana ubi (the largest drum in the rebana family of drums), seruling (bamboo flute) and bass guitar.

The ronggeng, inang and joget are genres of music that traditionally accompany a social dance and the singing of pantun. It is performed typically with the violin, accordion, rebana (drum) and brass knobbed gong. Although these three genres have differing rhythmic and melodic patterns, the inang and joget are usually played at a faster tempo.

Reference:

Roots. (2020). Traditional Malay Music. National Heritage Board. Retrieved from https://www.roots.gov.sg/ich-landing/ich/traditional-malay-music#:~:text=Traditional%20Malay%20music%20is%20enjoyed,traditional%20asli%20music%20in%20Singapore.

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