Orang Laut SG

Hi friends! This June, we’re bringing everyone together for Hari Orang Pulau – a day to celebrate the stories, culture, and traditions of Singapore’s islander heritage. We’re calling for potential partners and supporters to help make this happen. Every little bit counts to keep the jiwa laut (spirit of the sea) alive! If you’re keen to chip in or know someone who can, slide into our DMs, drop an email at [email protected] or hit the link in our bio (ko-fi.com/oranglautsg). 🤍🩵🤍

Did you know that places like Jurong and Pandan are named by the Orang Laut? We sat with Dr Vivienne Wee, a celebrated anthropologist who shared important insights about her research work with Indigenous communities in Singapore and Riau, Indonesia. Thank you, Dr Vivienne!

We started Orang Laut SG on this very platform to share more about our stories, culture, and particularly our food. Four years later, we were approached by @city_sprouts to consider having an urban farming plot at West Coast Park. We said yes because (1) West Coast is significant to the coastal communities (2) There’s still an activity community there practicing their island traditions (3) A hope to represent the deep indigenous knowledge and practices of coastal communities and their connection to land and water (4) A space of learning and sharing of intangible and tangible cultures and traditions through programmes and workshops. Hence, Tanah Dan Air started. It’s a crazy project, and we went into this blind. Just a few months ago, it was a plot of grass and gravel. We speak to the community members to ask for their expertise and hear from them about they want it to be, visited our friends and relatives in Riau to learn and be inspired, and spoke to our community ally like @livingsoil.asia and @bjorn.low about the potentials of building the space. This is not a one man’s effort, it’s a community’s that is made of volunteers, interns, former islanders, descendants, experts, builders and people who have given us their trust and support. We are excited to announce that Tanah Dan Air will be launching our first public programme with @singaporeartmuseum in October and subsequently with @suss.sg in November. We will be inviting community members to share their knowledge and culture during these sessions. Please join us, okay? p.s. Thank you Cherie Lok and @cheongmark from @straits_times for the feature.

before the park there was the coast and on the coast there we were Coastal Walk, Food and Stories is for us to open the conversation on what was, and still is Orang Laut culture in Singapore. We were thankful that spirits were high even through the morning sun and afternoon rain! 🌦️👯 We hope to hold another Coastal Walk, Food and Stories sometime soon, as we gear up for Hari Orang Pulau. Do join us if you are interested to hear our islanders' stories! 👂🏽

Hello everyone! We are excited to announce that our Bubur Lambuk Ikan Tenggiri distribution is happening soon! We hope you can join us 🙂🐟 Reserve a free bowl via the link in bio

The coconut is a familiar fruit to many of us in Southeast Asia - rich not only in flavour, but also cultural significance. In Isi Nio, the third session of our Nio Series, Dr Anthony Medrano gave an insightful sharing on these deep historical ties, while Azfar Maswan (@azfarrocious) explored traditional ways of preparing and using the coconut’s various parts. 🥥 We were also treated to a cooking demo by Azfar, who prepared dishes like the coconut-based Javanese Urap. Cik Nooraini and Cik Rohaini, former Southern Islanders, whipped up a dish of gamat (sea cucumber) topped with kerisik (toasted, grated coconut) and chilli - ground by hand by our participants 👨‍🍳 A huge thank you to our content partners and everyone who came to masak & makan with us! 😋 Stay tuned for our next and final workshop, Tumbong Nio (Coconut Flower) - exploring beliefs & cultural practices. 🌼 The Nio Series is supported by @ycm.sg and @nhb_sg Young Changemakers - Youth Heritage Kickstarter Fund (YCM-YHKF). Any material, information or views expressed are those of the organisers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other supporting organisation.

In Part 2 of our Nio Series: Tempurung Nio... Hafiz (@geroda19) provided a fascinating look at the significance of batik in the Malay Archipelago, while Jade (@jadeyilinart) shared personal insights into her Indigenous Taiwanese heritage. We had 2 hands-on workshops, the art of weaving lemongrass with Jade, and a batik painting workshop hosted by Normini, a descendant of Pulau Brani. This Nio was extraordinarily moving - As we dove deep into the cultural significance of these traditional Indigenous crafts, we touched on themes of families, resistance, cultural beliefs, and dreams they represent. A huge thank you to our content partners for bringing together this amazing night of communal sharing. 🌱🌱 Stay tuned for our recap of our latest session - Isi Nio! The Nio Series is supported by @nycsg, @ycm.sg and @nhb_sg Young Changemakers - Youth Heritage Kickstarter Fund (YCM-YHKF). Any material, information or views expressed are those of the organisers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other supporting organisation.

We are opening two slots to the public for our Coastal Walk, Food & Stories this month! We hope to bring the experiences of the former islanders where participations will be able to learn traditional maritime crafts that are still practiced today, hear stories and taste food prepared by the Southern Islander Community. Join us on 23rd Feb for our Coastal Walks - Link in Bio! Proceeds will go to supporting Orang Laut SG’s initiatives and community members.

Throwback to November last year, when we had the privilege to mentor a talented team of @suss.sg students to co-create and organise ‘Bubuku: Reviving Our Maritime Crafts.’ 🐟🐡🐟 Under the guidance of the community’s expert fishermen and bubu trap weavers, participants had the unique opportunity to try weaving a part of a bubu trap. A big thank you to SUSS for this wonderful partnership and for giving our community members the platform to share their valuable knowledge on maritime crafts. We look forward to the new batch of SUSS students that we will be working with this year!

Hi everyone! Join us for the third session of the Nio Series, a deep dive into the cultural & culinary significance of the nio (coconut) in the Nusantara region. 🌴 Featuring a sharing by Dr Anthony Medrano and cooking demonstration by @azfarrocious and Mdm Nooraini, a former Pulau Semakau islander and the hands behind our specialty seafood dishes - We’re really excited to have them and hope to see you there too! Sign up via the QR code or link in our bio 🥥

Hi everyone, we’re back with the second workshop of our Nio Series, Tempurung Nio! 🥥 For this session on art and cultural advocacy, we’re excited to have @geroda19 and @jadeyilinart share how traditional arts reflect a community’s beliefs, stories, and dreams. There’ll also be two workshops: Weaving with Jade and batik painting with Normini, a Pulau Brani descendant. Come craft with us! 🌿⭐️🖌 Register through the QR code or link in our bio!! The Nio Series is supported by @nycsg, @ycm.sg, and @nhb_sg Young ChangeMakers - Youth Heritage Kickstarter Fund (YCM-YHKF). Any material, information or views expressed are those of the organisers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other supporting organisation.

📣NEW WEBINAR ALERT!📣 This January, we go on air with Dr Vivienne Wee, an anthropologist with extensive field research in the Indonesian and Singapore region, and Firdaus Sani, founder of Orang Laut SG (@oranglautsg). In the agenda this time, we're packed with a presentation, dialogue, and a Q&A session where you will be able to engage our speakers with all the burning questions that you may have regarding all things Orang Laut! With this, we hope to uncover experiences, current trends, and challenges in the Orang Laut advocacy scene. Get your calendars marked for 10 January 2025, Friday, 8pm now! Register your interest at the link(tree) in our bio.