Pupil Activity Booklet Peranakan Museum Primary 2 Social Studies Liu LiJia, Ng Xin Yi, Tan Tian Rong and Tang Li Hui Donica (Post-Graduate Diploma in Education, Class of 2015) Name: Class: Date: (Note: Graphics, photographs and/or maps in the original fieldwork package which are copyrighted have been removed.) 1
Inquiry Question How is the Peranakan culture shaped by other cultures? Fieldwork Rules Be SMART Silence Move Ask Respect Teamwork Keep the noise level low by using your six-inch (15-cm) voice. together with your group at all times. Partners, look out for each other. your teacher for permission before going anywhere. the place and people around you. Do not run in the museum. Work together and help each other out. Remember that Rick Lee and Brenda Choo are getting married next week. As the family members of the bride and groom, we need your help to: Choose the gifts to be exchanged during the Lap Chai ceremony; Get ideas for a suitable altar cloth for the wedding; and Design a sarong kebaya and baju lokchuan as presents for the bride and groom. 2
Origins Let us find out more about Rick and Brenda s culture by watching a video. As you watch the video, think about Who are the Peranakans? Where do they come from? Which are the cultures that have shaped the Peranakans? Peranakan means in the language. It comes from the word which means child. For the Chinese Peranakans, the women are known as N _ s while the men are known as B _ s. F Father L Mother Peranakan Child There are three main types of Peranakans: 1 Peranakans 2 Melakans 3 Peranakans Make a Guess! In Singapore, the Peranakan community is mostly made up of Peranakans. The Peranakans come from: 1 2 3
Station 1: Wedding Guiding Questions What is the Lap Chai ceremony? Which cultures have shaped the wedding practices of the Peranakans? Location: Galleries 2 to 5, Level 2 A The Lap Chai Ceremony Helping Words: Symbolic, meaning, gifts, before, trays Lap Chai is a ceremony where are exchanged between the groom's family and the bride's family. This ceremony takes place the wedding day. The gifts are carefully prepared and sent from the groom's house to the bride's house. The groom's family gives the presents on beautiful to the bride's family. The bride's family accepts the items and replaces them with items for the groom's family. The gifts are. This means that Peranakans believe that there is a behind those gifts. 4
B Who Gives What? If you are in Group A (groom's family), you will view trays 1 and 2. If you are in Group B (bride's family), you will view trays 3 and 4. One gift that the groom s family gives to the bride s family is. The gift represents One gift that the bride s family gives to the groom s family is. The gift represents. 5
Think about Which culture in Singapore practises a very similar gift exchange ceremony before the wedding? Helping Words: Meanings, red packet, Chinese, syrup, pork leg, Guo Da Li The Peranakan Lap Chap ceremony is very similar to the Chinese. In the wedding culture, the groom s family also presents the bride s family with brandy, a and a. In return, the bride s family also gives the groom s family. The behind the gifts are also similar. 6
Reflection Time! I have learnt (if you agree) 1. about the Lap Chai ceremony. 2. that the Peranakan wedding practices are shaped by the Chinese and Malay cultures. What else have I learnt? 7
Station 2: Cloths Guiding Questions What is the altar cloth used for? Which cultures have shaped the design of the Peranakan cloths? Location: Lift Lobby, Level 2 A Altar Cloth Motifs and Meanings Key terms that you may need to know Symbol A thing that stands for something else. Motif A repeated design used for decoration. 8
Match the following correctly Name of Motif Picture of Motif Meaning of Motif Phoenix Beauty Dragon Long life Peony Power, strength & good luck Qilin Beauty & good luck The character Shou Long life and good values T W_ is a word in Malay for batik altar cloths. Altar cloths are used to decorate the front of altars during important ceremonies such as and. 9
Location: Special Exhibition Gallery, Level 2 B Spot the Motifs! Put a tick ( ) in the box below when you spot the motif on the cloth! Name of Cloth Chinese Dragon Qilin Peony Phoenix Shou Western Dragon and shou character Little Red Riding Hood Reflection Time! I have learnt (if you agree) 1. more about the designs of Peranakan cloths. 2. that Peranakan altar cloths are strongly shaped by the Chinese cultures. 10
What else have I learnt? 11
Station 3: Fashion Guiding Questions What do the Chinese Peranakans wear? Which cultures have shaped the Peranakan culture? Location: Gallery 6, Level 3 A What do the Chinese Peranakans wear? Women (Nyonyas) Men (Babas) S _ K _ B L C S _ A tube-like skirt that is wrapped and folded around the waist. It is traditionally decorated with b patterns. K _ A long sleeved, open jacket that is made of cotton or silk. It was first worn by the M _ in Asia and India. 12
Location: Lecture Room, Level 1 B Spot the Design! Observe the Peranakan ethnic attire, beaded accessories and slippers. Put a tick ( ) in the correct box below when you spot the design. Chinese Western Malay Peony Shou character Birds Floral bouquet buketan Spanish dancers Girl & swan Slamat or Selamat Sarong Kebaya Beadwork (Accessories & Slippers) Did you know? The Peranakan girls had to learn how to bead and sew to be a good wife in future. 13
Reflection Time! I have learnt (if you agree) 1. more about the Chinese Peranakan ethnic attire. 2. that the Peranakan fashion is shaped by the Chinese, Western and Malay cultures. What else have I learnt? 14
Station 4: Feast Guiding Questions What is Tok Panjang? Which cultures have shaped the eating practices of the Peranakans? Location: Lecture Room, Level 1 A Before we begin Name three utensils that you use for eating., and Match the eating practices with their cultures! Western Malay and Indian Chinese After the station activity Are the eating practices of the Peranakans different from yours? Circle one: YES/NO 15
Location: Gallery 9, Level 3 B What does Tok Panjang mean? Make a guess My guess is that Tok Panjang means Look for the answer in the exhibit. Do you get it correct? Tok in Hokkien means Panjang in Malay means Therefore, Tok Panjang means Tok Panjang is a type of feast related to and other special occasions. On usual days, the common dining style for Peranakan dinners outside the house was at a table. It is a Chinese custom. Reflection Time! I have learnt 1. what a tok panjang is. (if you agree) 2. that the eating practices of the Peranakan are shaped by the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western cultures. 16
What else have I learnt? 17
My Reflections List 3 things that you have learnt about the Peranakan culture. 1 2 3 Name 2 of the cultures that have shaped the Peranakan culture. 1 2 What is one question that you still have about the Peranakan culture? 18