Pulau Seking

In a legend, Pulau Sekeng was named after a pirate queen called Keng from Indonesia, who set up home there with her followers more than 200 years ago. Pulau Seking had one of Singapore's earliest Malay settlements. According to surgeon, Dr. Robert Little, in 1848 there were about 7 houses and about 30 Malays living there. Their houses were well-built and superior to those of the other islands. These early inhabitants were from the Johore-Riau Archipelago, and were namely Suku Bintan, Orang Selat and Orang Laut. Today there are still about 500 inhabitants (about 50 families), one-third of whom are fishermen, who live in attap-roofed wooden huts built on timber poles over the sea along the coastline of the island. The men still go out to fish, but the younger ones prefer a job on nearby Bukom Island or on the mainland. Women look after children and household chores. There is no fresh water on the island, but it is brought over by sampan, a local "wooden boat", from Bukom. Instead of roads, red gravel pathways criss-cross the land. Generators on the island provide electricity for lights in the evenings replacing kerosene lamps. Some households have hi-fi/stereo systems while for others, the pride of the family is a television set. Nearly everyone owns a transistor radio, but cooking is still done with firewood which is plentiful and cheap.


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)

Singapore National Archives. (1986). Geylang Serai: Down memory lane: Kenangan abadi (p. 44). Singapore: Heinemann Asia.
(Call no: RSING q779.995957 GEY)

Island attracts tour groups (1987, July 15). The Straits Times, Society, p. 2

Islands in the sun (1976, December 3). New Nation, p. 10.

Subject
Geography>>Geographical Areas and Countries>>Singapore Offshore Islands
Ethnic Communities
Islands--Singapore
Seletar(Malaysian people)--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Residential buildings
People and communities>>Social groups and communities



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