Singapore's Peranakan Indians: A Vanishing Culture Revealed | CNA Insider

The Chetti (or Chitty) Melaka come from Hindu roots, but honour Buddha, Jesus and other religions. They mark the Chinese Qingming festival. Their language is a creole: Malay patois mixed with Chinese dialect and Tamil.
Meet the Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Malaysia, whose ancestors were traders from Tamil Nadu who settled in Melaka in the 14th century - and whose culture is in danger of dying out today. (Learn more at an exhibition on the Straits Indians at the Indian Heritage Centre, now on until May 2019.)
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[@aiman9088]

As a Malaysian, I never knew there was a Peranakan Indians and glad that CNA posted this documentary.

[@nadinefred752]

True that

[@MHaffiezMNazri]

Dude, seriously?! Were you not paying attention during your Form 3 Sejarah class? LOL

[@DiscoverHareKrishna]

Lol. This is why sejarah subject in schools is important. Malays normally knows. Bt not indians and chinese.

[@leeynesh]

There's a Chetti Village at Melaka :)

[@lee6352]

There's alot of peranakan india in malaysia espwcially in Kuching Sarawak.

[@gowrishankervel4689]

My dear Chitty brothers, wishes to you from a Chetti from Bangalore. Please keep going and preserve your culture with regardlessness of the religions. Vanakkam to you.

[@csePraveenKumarB]

Man it's not chettiyar😂..chetti mean people

[@gowrishankervel4689]

@@csePraveenKumarB Dear brother, please read this article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitty

[@csePraveenKumarB]

@@gowrishankervel4689 any way it indicates Tamil na

[@gowrishankervel4689]

@@csePraveenKumarB what is "na" ? could you please explain?

[@csePraveenKumarB]

@@gowrishankervel4689 it means... expressing on favorism

[@DiscoverHareKrishna]

Yes so true. Chinese in singapore many are unfamiliar with indian n malay culture. This is a very huge led down. They always claim we are Singaporeans bt unwilling or hesitate to mingle with indians n malay as "1 family".

[@muhammadazim6326]

True tho

[@anastasiaye4064]

What you said is exactly against the spirit of the video. Didn't you see Chinese people joining them for their festivals too? Of course not. You're just led by the exact hate they're trying to speak up against.

[@blacksheaperd1539]

@@anastasiaye4064 religion is completely different sayang , you missed the drift.he is talking intermingglig in day to day affairs like friendship. 90% of Chinese gods are Indian orgin every festival you have we have it the difference is a day or two in-between.

[@anastasiaye4064]

@@blacksheaperd1539 I think it was you who missed the point of my comment. The entire point of this video is showing that people of different ethnicities do intermingle, intermarry, share cultural norms, and hold activities together. The point of this video is to show the beauty of harmony between ethnicities. His comment was sinophobic and accused Chinese people of "not mingling", when in the video it shows Chinese people going to their temple, celebrating events together, and some of the people in the video even marrying Chinese people. He was the one who missed the entire point of the video just to say some snarky quips about Chinese people, and you missed the entire point of my comment.

[@snowangeliquexx]

Wow. 'Chinese'. The fact that you paint an entire race with one word is just shocking. Have you scoured through the entire island to affirm your statement? Don't be ignorant!

[@Disha87]

My Grandpa Name also KANAPATHI'PILLAI'. I'M a Srikankan Tamil. I see so many connection with these people with our self.☺

[@simar1973]

thanks for uploading this vedio , you should also register your children with the pernakan association in malaysia ,so that you can keep the peranakan culture alive ,lah . my son is also indian peranakan and he is registered with the peranakan association ,in singapore ,he was born in singapore and he lives in indonesia . there are some chetti restaurants in joo chiat place also ,i lived in joo chiat place , i encourage you to register your children in the singapore peranakan association ,and attend there cultural programs ,when you work in singapore .

[@soumyakanti17]

This is why Hindu Indians are such a successful diaspora. We integrate into the local culture.

[@supersagarsagar]

Integration is stupid

[@rajendrannatrajan9251]

Yes tamil adapt local culture than arabs and jews.arabs and jews never adapt local culture. Implement theri culture on chinese and malay and indians .so arabs and jews are most successful race in the world.

[@amiemohan8578]

Proud to be Melakan!!..Home to new cultures

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

infact tamil people was there since 2000years back..and singapore was one of the vijaya kingdoms trade point

[@rajasingammuthusamy9964]

Raj Raj, Those 2000-year-old Tamil generations over time have already got intermarried and converted. One such community is those living in Madura Island near Java whom until today practice some of the Tamil cultural heritage i.e. Curved head Marchete. Grindstone, etc.

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+Rajasingam Muthusamy we can see how the culture of tamil carried by malays at malaysia too..so there is a strong evidence for everything

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+Rajasingam Muthusamy doesnt matter how much our skin colour can changed,,the main system is strongly there and still untill now that unable to change..the reason for this culture is here, still same was from tamil..do you wanted to forget about the tamil and carry the culture is like kacang lupakan kulit..that is happening bro

[@TheShuryansh]

Yeah first human Lucy was Tamil also

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+The Shuryansh i cannot agree this one..because we dont know the real story..but tamil was old enough to call it ancient..

[@fatimahibrahim4831]

Melaka at Malaysia i went there very nice state as a heritage....

[@kimhisham8018]

Saya berketurunan Chetty Melaka

[@fredericksharon5095]

This is warming to see a Lotta people still following their roots in this western mindset of a world !

[@jaustdoit]

Soon everyone will realize you need to find your root because finding them makes u more human than today being forgotten and brainwashed.

[@TigerTiger-kr7qe]

Words of wisdom whatever the question is the answer is love and unity. There only one race the race of humanity.All haters take your hate elsewhere.

[@emp3r4wrrr45]

Vannakkam!!! May peace, harmony, unity & love prevail!!! Showing more love & respect from the Philippines!!! 🇵🇭❤🇸🇬

[@joelpilanga6026]

😎😍🤤😲 nice netive way of culture ponw ..😎

[@MissFalling]

Yeah when I first went to Indian Heritage Centre I don’t rmb seeing much of Chetti Melaka info, maybe they updated it. I learnt a lot more in the Peranakan museum

[@neetyaaparan6809]

Proud to be a Melaka Chetti

[@MrHereugo]

Doing same here in Vietnam 🙌👍

[@avijeet1670]

Me too

[@orangebluebear7246]

@Paran Arumugam I'm just curious, does an Indian person with "Chitty" surname means that they are of Melaka Chitty (Chetti) descent?

[@suel34]

Is it Chetti or Chitti? Sorry not sure...

[@orangebluebear7246]

@Yoos Pro Thanks!

[@romliahmadabdulnadzir1607]

The boundaries of the state of Indonesia match the 20th-century borders of the Dutch East Indies. The last significant non-Muslim kingdom, the Hindu Majapahit kingdom, flourished from the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia.Europeans such as the Portuguese arrived in Indonesia from the 16th century seeking to monopolize the sources of valuable nutmeg, cloves, and cubeb pepper in Maluku. In 1602, the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and became the dominant European power by 1610. Following bankruptcy, the VOC was formally dissolved in 1800, and the government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies under government control. By the early 20th century, Dutch dominance extended to the current boundaries. The Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation in 1942-45 during WWII ended Dutch rule, and encouraged the previously suppressed Indonesian independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in August 1945, nationalist leader Sukarno declared independence and became president. The Netherlands tried to reestablish its rule, but a bitter armed and diplomatic struggle ended in December 1949, when in the face of international pressure, the Dutch formally recognized Indonesian independence. Immigrants from the southern provinces of China and also South India arrived in significant numbers in the Nusantara region between the 15th and 17th centuries, taking abode in the Malay Peninsula (where their descendants in Malacca, Singapore and Penang are referred to asBaba-Nyonya and for Indians as "Chettiars"); the Indonesian Archipelago (where their descendants are referred to as Kiau -Seng); and Southern Thailand, primarily in Phuket and Ranong. Intermarriage between these Chinese settlers and their Malay, Thai. Javanese or other predecessors in the region contributed to the emergence of a distinctive hybrid culture and ostensible phenotypic differences. The Peranakans are considered a mixed-race or multiracial community, with the caveat that individual family histories vary widely and likewise self-identification with multiracialism (as opposed to Chineseness) varies widely. The Malay/Indonesian phrase "orang Cina bukan Cina" ("a not-Chinese Chinese person") encapsulates the complex relationship between Peranakan identity and Chinese identity. The particularities of genealogy and the unique syncretic culture are the main features that distinguish the Peranakan from descendants of later waves of Chinese immigrants to the region. The Peranakans are also sometimes referred to as the Straits Chinese or Straits-born Chinese, though these terms are not interchangeable.

[@soumyakanti17]

This is something that only Hindus can do. We believe all religions in true. The fundamental tenet of Hinduism is that God is one, people understand Him differently.

[@joliejoliejolie90cool81]

What about Islam?

[@amiemohan8578]

Soumyakanti Chakraborty very true...

[@hunter-z4547]

not Hinduism dude . they are worshiping murugan .

[@amiemohan8578]

@@hunter-z4547 then who worshipping murugan? muslim? hindhu will worship murugan

[@hunter-z4547]

Amie Mohan . really homie !!! the word hindu means people who lived in bank of river sindu . Hinduism is just adopted many tamil gods , thats it nothing to do with Hinduism . you should say Hindu also worship murugan , like how Buddhist and Kurdish worship .

[@aellaedquil1458]

Yes

[@rajasingammuthusamy9964]

I have met with Chetty Vietnam and Chetty Indonesia. Not so sure on Chetty Philipina or Chetty Thailand. Chetty Burma certainly there are many in Myanmar.

[@ukesh243]

I am a chetty too but still in India 😂😂

[@rajasingammuthusamy9964]

@@ukesh243 good for you bro. I spoke to some Chetty community in Malaysia 2nd and 3rd generations, but they claim not original Chetty community, it's just that they are involved in money lending business thus, end up being addressed as Chettiar, in fact, they are from various other southern communities or glends. Those Chetty from Vietnam most in the southern city near the Mariamman temple zone have intermarried the local Vietnamese woman and forgotten the Tamil language and the temple is just run as ad hoc basis by the 3rd and fourth generations but they are very caring people. I heard there one or two chettiar in Cambodia but not so sure on that info. The indonesian Chettiar are quite rich handling big business like oil and gas contracts, textiles, marine and industrial industries, money lending is of course, i met one Chettiar who owns 30 houses and rented out in Jakarta. Medan many Tamil there and some Chettiars live there too. I visited the Mariamman temple in Bangkok, but did not met or speak much, as I was rushing. May be will try next time. OK guys that's it. If anybody visiting Jakarta, please check out on Durga Amman Temple located a little out boundary.

[@ukesh243]

@@rajasingammuthusamy9964 yes too many chettys we r the oil group lol. The nagarathars r the money lenders. Beris are the shop owners. Manai chettys are the rent business guys. Its a strong community in Indo / Vietnam /Burma /Singapore / Malay / Srilanka Tamil influence trail actually

[@rajasingammuthusamy9964]

@@ukesh243 Wow!! a new catch for me. In Malaysia some Chettiars originally in the metal & machinery business but the 3rd generation moved on into public service sector under the government. One prominent Chettiar family is the state of Johore, Malaysia known as Chellam Chettiar & Co. I believe the third generation as you understand they always have very few children or hardly in many occasions. The current Chellam family business is by their granddaughter in the fifties I suppose. They doing realty and oil palm plantation and steel materials. The oil palm estate in Borneo is about 200,000 hectares with processing palm oil mill plant.

[@rajasingammuthusamy9964]

@Hare Krishna Not all of them, as some did bring along their family or got married to chettiar's daughter from india. When i visited them in Indonesia and Vietnam some look just like indians while other have fix-blood (local ethnicity) however many have forgotten Tamil language but keep watching Tamil movies and some cultural identity mixed with local customs and eating habits. When meeting with foreigners Tamils they definitely feel excited and happy.

[@KironManuelCards]

Seriously how to contact the Chettis.I sm desperate.

[@starmylight3685]

I'm 1/4 of Malaccan Chitty/Chetti descendants. But I've to declare myself as Malay when applying ID and to renew my birth certificate even though Chitty/Chetti is on my grandfather of my father's side. I'm so sad because can't they just stop classifying each people by their religions like Malay are Muslim, Chinese are Buddhists and Indian are Hindus... I'm proud of becoming a Chitty/Chetti Muslim.

[@chitrachannelvlog4822]

The authorities must open and classify 'chettiars' as a distintive group, maybe in IC, support ciltural assosiation and so on.

[@nanthansivapragas6823]

Chetti and chettiars are different

[@nanthansivapragas6823]

Chettiar is a caste Chetti is ppl You can be both

[@Danderman888]

Peranakans are a dying identification. I am a Peranakan myself, and have found that most would identify with the majority culture they either marry into or are part of, e.g. my NRIC states I am Chinese, not Peranakan Cina. But perhaps, in time to come, we would be recognised in history as being some of the first true blue South East Asians by racial identification instead of just a regional one. That would solve the racial frictions that seem to plague our region.

[@1pasupaty]

U can findthen in Malacca also living since 500 years

[@MrMachineoperator]

Melaka .. hmm.. how come they claimed to be Singapore Indian peranakan?

[@rajblack2055]

This people in video are all Singaporeans. Thier parents or grandparents came from Malacca.

[@yongzhenhong2100]

Ponnosamy Kalantree was 61

[@xxxzz8413]

Ok

[@hafizkamaruddin7843]

I m a Chindian Muslim

[@danialashraf99]

Malaccan? Anyone?

[@amiemohan8578]

Me....me..me..proud Malaccan...

[@rajendrennatraj6901]

பிற என்றால் வேறு என்று பொருள்.பிற இனங்களின் கலப்பு பிற நோக்கன் எனறால்பிற இனங்களில் பார்பவன் அல்லது கலப்பு செய்பவர் என கொள்ளலாம்

[@ukesh243]

I am a Chetty too but still in India hahah

[@jackmilk6944]

Yeah nice ,but what I noticed is that in Indian culture whenever an Indian male married a Chinese/Malay women noone bats an eye but if an Indian women married a Chinese/Malay man suddenly she'll face huge pressure from her family . I'm sure most of you noticed this too. Why are Indian men so insecure when Indian women married outside?

[@JayJay-fg4bd]

Chetti is a Tamil cast..

[@songwaikit8718]

semalu should be sama lu

[@luxus1243]

In Singapore.. Indian married to a Malay they call peranakan's people too😍

[@makkaucbkia9640]

RHCP rhcp er

[@luxus1243]

@dave gahan wat is that never heard b4🤔🤔 but peranakan yes always among married Mal/ Ind better nice the looks mix indian😊🤗 more detail pls about Tuluk or Tulukans sound interesting....

[@luxus1243]

@@makkaucbkia9640You learn something new.....😁😁

[@luxus1243]

@dave gahan oh ic 🤔🤔 is that bad to call Tulukan??? Sorry too many question🙄🙄 i just don't like to judge people or calling bad name😁😁

[@daschund7680]

What a waste marrying malays flat face

[@yongzhenhong2100]

Title: Indian Singaporeans

[@thomasthomas4954]

Chettiars from karaikudi did business like grocery, money lending and amazed wealth in the fishing Hamlet of Singapura after the British found easy as a hub for South east Asia. They are miser without generosity. Even coolies in shipyard from Tamilnadu and Tamil Muslims did petty Walker business there. There is nothing proud to say. The adoptable mind helped them to mingle with Chinese who are very selfish and cunning. It's survival as in Forest Law.

[@cotter266]

They say life is a survival of the fittest

[@robwright5940]

They talk like Apu, so she be good people

[@Porflavour]

make curry everywhere!!!

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

parameswara the only one person that maked everything upside down and maked tamil kingdoms collapse and rise of malay kingdoms..

[@akmalhariz3165]

which tamil kingdom?

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+Akmal Hariz sri vijaya kingdom

[@akmalhariz3165]

Srivijaya is Malay Hindu Kingdom not Tamil.

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+Akmal Hariz so how they carried tamil culture?? in india north indian and south indian was same hindu but the culture they carry is not the same..so how malay kingdom can have tamil culture without having the main roots from tamil? so how come a malay can carry tamil culture without mixed with tamil?? even almost entire malay kingdom changed their religion to islam still they not carry any culture from arabs..so where this culture is came from?? is there malay was older then tamil or any other reason behind it we dont know..but the evidence is very strong on tamil side ..why i say this,,just see how much impact tamil has made to entire asia country..indonesia burma thailand vietnam cambodia even china get that impact of it..so ,how long the time they needed to take for doing this all?? if they are really was pure malay kingdom,,why using the name that has tamil slang but not using their own malay name?? it is very clear there is mainly everything was done by tamil people and time goes changed slowly everything..because we got mixed..and many things has hapened during that time that we cant explained correctly .but one i can sure was tamil is the main reason for everything..if we see other country from asia then we dont need to give evidence to prove it..if budha from hindu roots can impact almost all country nearby,,this mean hindu was there before budha..this is few thousand years time period taking..malay kingdoms was there around 500to 800years ..if this short period time can changed everything this much,,so there is no reason to not having a singel tamil people was there and claiming tamil kingdoms..and writed history that tamil people was pendatang ..lol..no logic at all

[@akmalhariz3165]

"so how they carried tamil culture?" what tamil culture that exist in Sriwijaya? "entire malay kingdom changed their religion to islam still they not carry any culture from arabs" - there are many arab infuse word in malay vocab. like name of day 'Ahad, Isnin, Selasa,' -Ghazal in johor can be trace back to arab culture. - Songkok came fro turkey. by the way Sriwijaya fall because of attack from Chola Kingdom from Southern India -'Attracted to the wealth of Srivijaya, Rajendra Chola, the Chola king from Tamil Nadu in South India, launched naval raids on ports of Srivijaya and conquered Kadaram (modern Kedah) from Srivijaya in 1025' (Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella, ed. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press) the many wave of Tamil migration to south east asia. during the malay kingdom (Malacca Kingdom) which resulting Malacca Chetti during British Colonialism which resulting Malaysian Indian. Learn Your History.

[@georgiebungle2252]

Pranking Indians

[@boyan619]

the REAL...PERANAKAN start from EURASIAN

[@mytabletcjy9251]

&çh

[@hunter-z4547]

chetiyars from tamil nadu. sry what ?? .it clear that he is from tn . * tamil peoples are abundant in southern india , Indonesia , Mauritius kinda country . even see him name , ponnosamy . which state of india have ponnosamy as name . I don't what you are get from calling him someone else .

[@amiemohan8578]

This is different Chetti from India...

[@rajblack2055]

Chettiar is different group. This chetti in video come from Malaysia & singapore.

[@gowrishankervel4689]

TamilNadu has. Poonu means Gold and Samy means Lord (same Honnu is Gold in Kannada and Samy as Lord in Kannada). Chettiars are from TamilNadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Kerala too (mainly from the Dravidian part of India) and there are also Guptas, Modis, etc (Baniyas from North India) of the such same but they claim themselves as Aryans.

[@gowrishankervel4689]

Poonu --> Typo . Ponnu means Gold

[@6millionx6millionpeopleliv49]

At

[@SuccessforLifester]

What is At

[@inderneilboseroychowdhury]

I worship Gobar 💩

[@AK-cf6sj]

Lol Chettiars went to exploit Singapore where some of them return back to Tamilnadu with huge money and others stayed there. I guess they are the most castiest people I've ever known.

[@ukesh243]

Hahah dude never heard of Brahmins?

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

we have kampung chetti only at melaka..why called chetti,,the chinese people and tamil people getting married..and melaka have orang baba too..that is malay and chinese people mixed and called them as baba nyonya..until now melaka the only one state that carried the history of malaysia and it wont change forever..melaka has malay chinese indian and portugues people..you cant see this at any other place but only at melaka..rich culture rich history only at melaka

[@ukesh243]

@@RajRaj-wu2je True the world is getting more mixed than ever future is bright with more mixed ppl no more whites blacks browns mixed it is

[@RajRaj-wu2je]

+UK D yes that is true..i agree ..living mixed is good for future too..no more racis

[@nanthansivapragas6823]

Hello chettiars were the first bankers and moneylenders Many rich business men borrowed money from them

[@user-qz5ju7ko1u]

Nooooo Indian Only Tamil community

[@drodro7672]

They are a mixed-up community from both Tamil and Telugu ancestry. As well, their Tamil ancestors are totally from Southern India, and their cultural heritage reflects only a connection with South Indian Tamil culture. They are unrelated to the Sri Lankan Tamils, who only travelled outside of their island (exception of the very few pilgrims to Southern India) by the end of the 19th century and the British colonisation. So they are truly Indian, or a minima, a South Indian descending community.

[@vamshiabhilash]

What da fuckdada fuck is this 😯😯😯😯 yenna da idhe Indian ,chines, Malay ,mix mix outcome yenna cross breeda ellaya multi breed aa 😁😁😁 I'm 16 🤗🤗 OMG 😁😁