[Singapore Islands] Kusu Island: The Land of Tortoises

 

An island where prayers are held - both at the Tua Pek Kong Temple and the Malay Keramat. How did the holy places of two different religions ended up on the same island? Well, I'd say that lends to the mystic of this interesting island.

Through my readings, I've found a newspaper article stating that Kusu Island (Or formerly known as Pulo Kusu, or Peak Island or Pulau Tembakul or Tortoise Island for the many tortoises found on the island. Phew that's a whole lot of names for a tiny island) was a "favourite resort of the Straits-born Chinese". (1) The mystery grows. Was there a resort on Pulo Kusu? Why did the Straits-born Chinese choose Pulo Kusu to hang out?

  

Pulo Kusu is located slightly more than five kilometres South of Singapore; close enough to Singapore for the early pioneers to make a visit to the island via sampans. (2) The island was inhabited by a very small group of fishermen. (3)

Kusu Island's temple being enveloped by the sea during high tide. (4)

In the past, the temple stood on an atoll while the kramat was on top of the hill. Both the places of worship were linked by a strip of sand. During high tide, the strip of sand disappears. (5) In order to move from the temple to the kramat, one has to either take a ride on the sampan, or to just swim across.

In modern times, you can either pay for a special chartered boat ride that would take you 15 minutes; or simply follow the crowd and pay for the normal ferry shuttle which costs markedly less (Check website for rates). The boat ride from Singapore to Pulo Kusu take about 45 minutes as the ferry will stop over at St. John's Island first before crossing over to Pulo Kusu. (6)

The Kramat

In an October 1926 newspaper article, the writer visited Kramat Kusu. In that article, the writer mentioned that one has to trod the "winding pathway" to reach to the summit. Now, the path is well-paved and the 152 steps will lead you to the kramat.

Along the upward path, one would see both yellow strings and red plastic bags with two stones. So what do these signify? Well, visitors of the kramat tie the strings with four numbers - lucky numbers that punters write down in hope of striking it rich. What about the red plastic bags with stones and notes? Some parents do that in the hope of getting a child.   

The first mention of Kusu Island was on the March 1616 when Dom Jose de Silva, Spanish Governor of the Philippines was believed to have run aground at Kusu Reef. (7) The early newspapers also alluded to the fact that it was already a place of worship long before the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles. (8)

Back to current times, I arrive at the peak of the hill. There stood a kramat all painted in yellow. A kramat signifies a holy person with supernatural powers, seemingly even after the person's death. So on top of this hill, there are three shrines and they are maintained by Mr Hussein and his wife, Jamaliah. Mr Hussein claimed that he has taken over his father's duty as the caretaker. He also said that he has lived at the kramat for about 50 years.

I'd observe that the ritual both Mr Hussein and his wife have performed was not of a full Muslim ritual but instead, a prayer to Datok Nenek that was done in a mixture of Malay, Hokkien and English. The entire ritual ended with a "Huat ah" (or may you prosper).


Tua Pek Kong Temple

The distinctive Chinese green roof with red pillars stood out from a distance. What was once a prayer hut is now a full fledged temple. (9)

I entered through the gates that was closer to the foothill of the kramat. The bright red paint of the entrance exudes this warmness - an invitation to visit the temple.

Every year from September, thousands of pilgrims flocked to this island temple to "pray for good luck and prosperity". (10)

There's even a wishing well for you to toss your 'lucky' coins. If your coin hits the bell, it means that luck with be with you.

All in, it was an eye opener for me to see two different religion living in harmony on a small little island.


References

1. Untitled. The Straits Times. October 26, 1908. P6.
2. A Visit to Kramat Kusu. The Straits Times. October 29, 1926. P10.
3. Matter Chinese. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). October 21, 1927. P5.
4. Untitled. The Straits Times. October 30, 1950. P7.
5. Heathcott, K. (October 21, 1940). Chinese Go To Pray And Picnic On Kusu Island. P7.
6. Singapore Island Cruise. http://www.islandcruise.com.sg/ferry_schedule.html#t3. Accessed on October 27, 2014.
7. Cornelius-Takahama, V. (2000). Singapore Infopedia. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_233_2005-01-20.html. Accessed on October 28, 2014.
8. Before the days of Raffles. October 9, 1932. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). P7.
9. Grand Old Lady (100) of Kusu Island dies. November 1, 1954. The Singapore Free Press. P5.
10. The Birthday of Two Gods. February 10, 1956. The Singapore Free Press. P4.

Yin Fo Fui Kun (应和会馆) Cemetery and Ancestral Hall

The new and the old buildings co-exist for now

Cemeteries and ancestral halls are becoming places of the past in land scarce Singapore. It is claimed that the mosaic-clad tombstones that have been sited at Holland Close since 1969, will be cleared so as to release space "for buildings such as a cultural and social hall" (Zaccheus, June, 8 2014).

My interest of this place lies with the fact that there sits a historical building that was built in 1887. If the tombstones were to be taken away, I want to know if this old building will still be maintained.

So I had to pay a visit to the ancestral hall to hear from the people who manage the land.

Symmetrically-lined tombstones that were erected in 1969

I remember the first time that I caught sight of this cemetery was some 20 years ago when I visited a friend. He was staying at Holland Village and his flat was overlooking the cemetery. He offered me a simple narrative about the cemetery - that it was pretty old and that residents there were not afraid of any spiritual happenings nor has he seen anything unnatural. Funny how we always ask whether those residents have came across spirits whenever we are next to a cemetery. Many a times, they will proffer their stories as if they knew that we were going to ask them about it anyway.

This was also the case when we spoke to the caretaker of the ancestral hall, Mr Tan (陈先生). But let us first focus on the issue on hand. What is this place and whether will the tombstones be removed.


The start of our journey

My colleagues and I walked through the cemetery and were looking at the different tombstones. The sun was shining bright and we were there at about 10:30am. Still, the heat could not dissolve our quest for the truth. We stopped at the different tombstones to read the nicely written inscriptions. Some of which have been carved in stone. There were the 李，黄，陈 and many other different surnames listed. Some of these tombstones had little stones placed on top of them. This was to signify that someone had paid the grave a visit and that they are being tended to.

We also realised that nearly all of the tombstones listed their burial year as 1969. We were curious to find out why.

In a short distance stood a gardener. He was an unassuming and friendly chap who gave me a big smile and was waving at me to come towards him.

The story behind the tombstones

Row after row of mosaic-clad headstones greet visitors of this cemetery

The gardener was tan and his face was weather-beaten. The features just adds on to the authenticity of what he was about to share with us. He spoke totally in Hokkien and some parts of which, I could not really understand as he was putting in certain names of places, or older activities practiced in times gone by.

He shared about how he has tended the cemetery ever since 1983 and that he was the second generation of gardener. He took over the role of tending the cemetery after his father passed on. He shared about how the Hakka community had purchased a big piece of land from the government. Written records showed that they had purchased 40ha of land in 1887. He said that the land stretched all the way to a site where a current school sits. I'm not too sure which school, but I gather it must be either the current CHIJ St. Theresa Convent or Queensway Secondary School. Most of the land have been acquired by the government by the 1960s for re-development. He said that there were also graves where Blk 7, Holland now sits. They have now all been moved to this cemetery.


The caretaker of 双龙山

I walked over to the ancient ancestral hall. We did not know what to expect and whether we needed to remove our shoes as a sign of respect. So we stood at the entrance and had a full view of the wooden tablets before us.

Tablets at the Ancestral Hall

A gentleman in a well-worn shirt and dark pants, and shoes that were held together by green rafia strings, glided past us. He then cast a look at us and with a waving movement of his hands, invited us into the ancestral hall. Somehow mesmerized, I followed him towards the right side of the hall. He stopped. I stopped. Only to realised that I was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of yellow porcelain urns that came in different shapes and sizes.

I had also noticed that two workers were busily removing pieces of wood. To break the ice, I asked this gentleman what was happening here. He said that they were doing some restoration work as the termites had eaten through the wood that was holding up the ceiling. They have to move the urns so that work could be done.

Only then did he introduced himself as 陈先生 (Mr Tan) and that he has been the caretaker for over 30 years. This was when he started to share with us his many stories - some historical, other spiritual to a point of ghostly.

Within the Ancestral Hall

He said that in the ancestral hall, he has collected urns and tablets that are not only from the Chinese Hakka community, but also Indians and foreigners such as Hong Kong residents. 陈先生 also made mention of a couple whose bodies laid behind the tablets and that their bodies had remained in a well preserved state.

Entrance to the historical Ancestral Hall

We then moved towards the entrance to which he turned to look at the altar. He pointed to the signboard and also the red pillars and said that all these wood actually came from Malacca. He gave me the names of the types of wood used, but I can hardly make out the different types of wood if I was given their English names, more so when he rattled off the names in Mandarin.
He had also shared that the ancestral hall was used as a school.

We have spoken quite a bit by now and I thought that here was my chance to go for the jugular. I meekly asked Mr Tan whether the news report about the removal of the tombstones was true - That the Association was going to build a pagoda to house these urns. You could just hear the irritation in his voice. "No way, No way! I do not know why it was reported as such". He then added, "我们是不会封山的” meaning we will never seal off the place. 

The place that's called Double Dragon Hill (双龙山)

I did not want to agitate the poor man further. So I asked him why was this place called "双龙山”. The frown lines slowly disappeared and started to share about the past, saying that there were two hills. One was in front of the ancestral hall, and the other was slightly to the back. 

I asked if there were many Dutch families staying in this area since it's called Holland Village. He simply replied, "No, mostly Hakka people lived here".

And here's the hook...

I was not ready to ask him anything that he was not comfortable to answer and the questions that I have were already well and truly answered. We were moving towards the doorway when he turned around and said, "I see three people playing mahjong". I interjected,"Now? You mean where we are now standing?"

"There are times. Just at the doorway". I shifted myself away from the doorway.

"Come, follow me", Mr Tan beckoned. "Let me show you the room of the former caretaker".

The caretaker's room that looks towards the entrance door on left wing of the hall

Not sure of what was to expect, I followed him and to ensure that I kept myself alive, I made sure there was a little bit of distance between us just in case I got dragged into something that I did not want to be a participant in. He continued with his story saying that the former caretaker had a very bad dream and was told that something untowards would happen to him. Shortly after, the caretaker was found dead in his room.

This was when Mr Tan opened the door to the room and thank goodness, we saw just ladders and other tools and nothing else. So it has been converted to a storeroom.

By now, Mr Tan had spent more than 30 minutes with us and as abrupt as we first met him at the ancestral hall, he ended the tour with " 我要回去做工了” (I need to get back to work).

Still, the entire experience was totally enriching. The gardener and the caretaker really took time off their work to chat with us. Today, we have learnt much about the Chinese culture and also history of Singapore. 

My colleague, Michael who was with me during this visit, aptly closed this visit by saying, "It was interesting seeing this remnant of old Singapore juxtaposed with the new, with the HDB flats in the background. The caretakers were so approachable and generous with their time and easy manner, reminding me of what Singapore was like back in our kampong days and leaving me somewhat wistful."

Good read/ References  

1. Zaccheus, M. (June 6, 2014). Hakka tombstones may have to go. Straits Times. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/hakka-tombstones-may-have-go-20140608
2. Wong, D. (November 30, 2012). An oddly-placed cemetery. Poskod.sg. http://poskod.sg/Posts/2012/11/30/An-Oddly-placed-Cemetery
3. The Hakka Story. Retrieved on June 14, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2cRR3nhRhI