Chinese influence pervades Singkawang<\/p>\n
By Erma S. Ranik<\/p>\n
SINGKAWANG, West Kalimantan (JP): A clue to what makes
\nSingkawang special can be found in its popular name, \"the city of
\na thousand temples\".<\/p>\n
Travelers bound for West Kalimantan should include a stop in
\nthis administrative town in Bengkayang regency, 140 kilometers
\nfrom the provincial capital of Pontianak.<\/p>\n
Much of the town's attraction is physical, with its location
\nat the foot of a mountain. Yet even more interesting are the
\nlives of the local Chinese community, known by the old term
\nTionghoa,<\/p>\n
The majority of the population is ethnic Chinese, with their
\npresence signified by the distinctive decorations and
\narchitecture throughout town. Local people know the Chinese
\nbuildings as kelenteng or Pek Kong.<\/p>\n
Singkawang is a narrow town and it is easy for newcomers to
\nget lost among the structures resembling soapboxes. It is
\nadvisable to bring a guide if you plan to venture far.<\/p>\n
Lovers of Chinese cuisine will find themselves in culinary
\nheaven in Singkawang. A variety of food can be found on the
\ncorner of Jl. Bawal, in the middle of Singkawang Market, which
\nstays open for night owls until 4 a.m. Muslim visitors, however,
\nmust be careful to ensure no pork products are used in their
\nmeals.<\/p>\n
The area's ceramics are also renowned and have become a
\ncoveted souvenir for travelers. Visitors must travel to Sedau, a
\nsubdistrict of Tujuhbelas, five kilometers from the center of
\nSingkawang.<\/p>\n
It is said the ceramic artisans in Sedau are direct
\ndescendants of ones from China. Not surprisingly, the ceramics
\nhave distinctive Chinese characteristics.<\/p>\n
\"The Chinese ceramics have become the traditional gifts to be
\nbrought back from Singkawang,\" said ceramics maker Abong.<\/p>\n
Nobody knows exactly when the ethnic Chinese came to West
\nKalimantan for the first time, although many trace their presence
\nback to the troops of Kublai Khan who landed at Tanjungpura
\nKetapang harbor in 1292.<\/p>\n
Admiral Ceng Ho and his troops marked the second stage of the
\narrival of the ethnic Chinese in 1463 he came to West Kalimantan
\nas ordered by the emperor Ceng Su alias Jung Lo, the 4th emperor
\nof the Ming dynasty. According to legend, he settled in West
\nKalimantan and married a local.<\/p>\n
The influx increased when Sultan Sambas opened trade relations
\nwith China in the 17th century. The foreigners were employed in
\nthe Sultan's gold mines.<\/p>\n
Their number increased over the years. Based on the 1995
\npopulation, there 435,600 people of Chinese descent, nearly 12
\npercent of the total population of the province. The majority of
\nthem lived in the municipalities of Pontianak and Singkawang,
\nwhich at that time were still in the regency of Sambas.<\/p>\n
In Singkawang itself, there is no definite figure on the
\nnumber of ethnic Chinese, but XF Asali from the community
\nestimated it was 80 percent of the population.<\/p>\n
\"Most of them are Khek (Haka),\" he explained.<\/p>\n
The Khek, who come from the province of Guangdong, were
\ntraditionally looked down upon by other Chinese, Asali said,
\n\"because most of them work as farmers, fishermen or in other
\nforms of manual labor\".<\/p>\n
The people are known as hard workers and many of them have
\npersevered to become successful. Among those hailing from
\nSingkawang is tycoon Prayogo Pangestu, who reportedly started out
\nas a conductor on public buses.<\/p>\n
Generally, however, the ethnic Chinese in Singkawang barely
\neke out a living as farmers and fishermen. Many are unable to
\nafford to send their children to school.<\/p>\n
Many young people leave the town to seek jobs in other areas,
\nwith young women often becoming migrant workers in Taiwan and
\nmarrying local men.<\/p>\n
Dialects<\/p>\n
Unlike ethnic Chinese in Java who feel obliged to use
\nIndonesian in public, the residents of Singkawang speak their
\nChinese dialect whenever they please.<\/p>\n
They are not fully proficient in Indonesian, with their
\nChinese accent coming through (many of the older members of the
\ncommunity cannot speak Indonesian).<\/p>\n
Only a few of them are Catholic or Protestant, with most
\nofficially Buddhist but holding to Confucianism. However, they
\nkeep their beliefs under wraps.<\/p>\n
\"They are afraid of being considered against the government,\"
\nAsali said again.<\/p>\n
Tjang Fo Han, who is in charge of the Buddhist monastery Cung
\nYang Pek Khong, said there was no basic difference between the
\nfollowers of Buddhism and those of Taoism. \"If Buddhists worship
\ngods who are in heaven, we worship gods who are on earth.\"<\/p>\n
As they are not free to acknowledge their religion in public,
\nthey have to use another name for their place of worship. On
\nnearly every Pek Hong is written the word Vihara, the name of a
\nBuddhist place of worship. Some of the kelenteng also place
\nstatues of Buddha, \"for security reasons\", said Fo Hon.<\/p>\n
Ethnic Tionghoa are obliged to pray at the Pek Hong twice in a
\nmonth, on the first and the 15th day of the Chinese calender, Fo
\nHon said. They can pray in any Pek Hong which are found in every
\ncorner of the town.<\/p>\n
But more people prefer to pray in the Vihara Chung Yang Pek
\nKhong, which is already 67 years old. \"It seems we'll get more
\nluck when we pray here,\" Akhung, 33, said.<\/p>\n
The ethnic Chinese still retain their traditional rites, such
\nas burials and Cap Go Meh rites.<\/p>\n
Cap Go Meh is classified as extraordinary because a variety of
\nChinese supernatural powers are displayed in special ceremonies.
\nThe dukun (shaman), who are usually called tatung\/laoya, exhibit
\ntheir supernatural strength in ceremonies similar to Banten's art
\nof debus. They can be stabbed or whipped, but they remain
\nimpervious to pain.<\/p>\n
The Naga Barongsai dance also enlivens the Cap Go Meh
\natmosphere. When the show is over, visitors ask the shamans to
\npredict their future or the fortune of their businesses. The more
\nfamous the shaman, the more people will come to ask for his
\nadvice.<\/p>\n
It has not always been easy days for the Chinese of
\nSingkawang. Like other ethnic Chinese, they kept quiet during the
\nrepressive New Order. In 1967 there was a rebellion by the
\nSerawak People's Movement Troops\/the North Kalimantan People
\nTroops in West Kalimantan, and Indonesian troops pitted the local
\nDayak people against them. It led to racial unrest in which
\nthousands are estimated to have died.<\/p>\n
The author is an editor of Kalimantan Review Magazine,
\npublished by Pontianak Dayakology.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chinese-influence-pervades-singkawang-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}