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Kusu Island

History
The earliest mention of Kusu Reef was in the 17th century. Dom Jose de Silva, Spanish Governor of the Philippines was believed to have run aground on March 1616 at Kusu Reef and thus the coral island had gained the name "Governor's Island" which was later adopted by the Singapore Straits which became known as the "Governor's Straits".

In 1806, the island gained the name "Goa Island" given by the East India Company hydrographer, James Horsburgh. With the founding of Singapore, Daniel Ross, hydrographer to Stamford Raffles, selected the island in 1819 as a reference point for ships entering the new harbour. The earliest charting of the island is in Lt. Jackson's Chart of 1822. The signal flagstaff of the station manned by the Harbour Master's Department was set up on the little island when it was still known as Goa Island or colloquially, Pulo Tambakul.

Kusu Island was originally 1.2 ha but landfill and reclamation in 1975 joined it with another coral outcrop, making a 8.5 ha island resort. The island was the burial site for immigrants who died in quarantine on St. John's and Lazarus Islands.

Every year, on the 9th day of the 9th moon in the Chinese calendar, a month-long festival stretching between September to November see more than 100,000 devout Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian pilgrims visit Kusu Island. The island houses a Chinese temple and three Malay Keramats. The Chinese temple was built by contributions from a Chia Cheng Ho in 1923 who initiated the worship of Tua Peh Kong (earlier known as Da Bo Gong), the "Merchant God" or "God of Prosperity". Guan Yin, the "Goddess of Mercy" and the "Giver of Sons" is also prayed to there. At least, 80% of the devotees are women, many praying for good husbands, healthy babies and obedient children. At least five blessings are sought for : longevity, wealth, tranquility, love of virtue and a fulfilled destiny. Devotees also climb the 152 steps to reach the Malay shrines. One of the shrines is dedicated to Syed Abdul Rahman, whilst the other two are believed to belong to his mother, Nenek Ghalib and his sister, Puteri Fatimah Shariffah. The shrines are watched over daily by Pak Ali, who tends to the Keramat Datok Kong and Haji Shamsudin who tends to the Keramat Datok Mother and Keramat Datok Daughter, as they are named. Placards next to the later two Keramat seem to indicate that Nenek Ghalib had visited a Baba Hoe Beng Huat and garnered finances to build these shrines from this group of Peranakans some time in 1917.

Legends
The legends are many, but they revolve mainly around the image of a giant turtle and of the friendship of two men, one Malay and the other Chinese.

• Legend has it that during the 9th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, a huge turtle saved a group of sailors from rough seas by turning itself into an island. The grateful sailors returned there the following year to make offerings of thanksgiving and the island has thereafter been treated as sacrosanct and has become a place of worship.
  
• Two fishermen had wrecked their boat while plying the waters near Kusu. Upon seeing their plight, a giant tortoise transformed itself into an island to provide sanctuary for the shipwrecked fishermen to land on.
  
• An Arab named Syed Abdul Rahman left Singapore with his wife and daughter on a journey in search of peace. Caught in a violent storm their sampan capsized. Lost in the open sea, a giant tortoise spotted them and brought them back to safety. They were beached at an unknown island which, from a distance, bore the silhouette of a tortoise. Beside them, they found not only their lost sampan but food in it.
  
• A sailing boat foundered near Kusu Island and went down with the strong waves. Two survivors, a Chinese and a Malay, swam ashore. Stranded on the island, they lived on shrubs and wild shoots. Their good friendship lasted until they died. Years later, when a ship contaminated by an epidemic dropped anchor near the island, the scourge miraculously disappeared and the sick regained good health.
  
• About 170 years ago, two holy men, Dato Syed Rahman, an Arab, and Yam a Chinese, meditated and fasted on their pilgrimage to Kusu. Yam fell ill and Syed prayed fervently for him. The sudden appearance of a boat with food and water, saved both their lives. As time lapsed, the two men regularly visited Kusu to offer thanksgiving. When they died, they were buried next to each other on the island. Later the Tua Peh Kong Temple and the Malay shrine were erected and dedicated to their memory.
  
• The keramat are believed to be endowed with supernatural powers, and on Kusu is the grave of the very first penghulu (or headman) or founder of a village.
  

Since ferry services started in 1975, Kusu is only a mere 30 minutes by launch from Clifford Pier or World Trade Centre, and there are there are landing facilities on Kusu. The island is now landscaped, with concrete approaches to the keramat and the temple. There are also showers and toilets, lagoons and a hawker centre.

Variant Names
Original name: Originally called Pulau Sakijang Pelepah
Malay Name: Renamed Pulo Tambakul (Tembakul) after a fish, or Goa Island
Other Name: Peak Island (see Lt. Jackson's survey chart of 1822).
Chinese Name: Kusu in Hokkien means "Tortoise", a reference to the outline of the animal it resembles.

Author
Vernon Cornelius-Takahama, 2000



References
Edwards, N. & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (p. 481). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)

Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (pp. 477-478). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)

Kusu: The Tortoise Isle (1976). Goodwood Journal, 4th Qtr., 15-16.
(Call no.: RSING 052 GHCGJ)

Singapore's other islands (1976). Goodwood Journal, 4th Qtr., 12-13.
(Call no.: RSING 052 GHCGJ)

Discovering Singapore [Micromfilm: NL6844]. (1971, November 13). New Nation, p. 7.

Kusu: From rocky outcrop to holiday resort (1986, October 5). The Straits Times, p. 3.


Further Readings
Goodwood Journal, 4th Qtr., 15. (1982).
(Call no.: RSING 052 GHCGJ)



The information in this article is valid as at 2001 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Religious Buildings
Geography>>Geographical Areas and Countries>>Singapore Offshore Islands
Islands--Singapore
Quarantine--Singapore
People and communities>>Customs>>Festivities
People and communities>>Customs>>Folklore



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