Interesting Green: Stepping to the Peranakan bead

Today on Sunday, Sunday, July 31, 2011, Page 8, MY LIFESTYLE, faceinthecrowd
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Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead
By Phylicia Lee, todayonsunday@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:45 AM Jul 31, 2011

PHOTO: Ms Bebe Seet beading slippers at Rumah Bebe, Peranakan House. Photo by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd Today on Sunday, Sunday, July 31, 2011, Page 8, MY LIFESTYLE, faceinthecrowd

Now owner of a heritage house, this Nyonya’s journey to revive her traditional culture began with a pair of beaded slippers

There are some experts who believe the Peranakan culture will be extinct in a hundred years. Not, however, if Bebe Seet can help it.

PHOTO: The shophouse is chock-full of Peranakan collectibles.
Photos by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead
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At Rumah Bebe, her bright turquoise Katong shophouse built in 1928, visitors are transported back to the golden era of Peranakan life. The scent of bunga rampei potpourri pervades the traditional home layout, while ethnic Karonchong music plays in the background and displays of Peranakan antiques invite closer examination of the delicate handworked filigree, beadwork and embroidery.

PHOTO: Delicate handworked beadwork
Photos by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead

The heritage house materialised in 1999 as a result of Bebe's beadwork hobby. Her handmade beaded shoes and kebayas grabbed people's attention and she started getting requests. "People liked what I wore and asked me to make it for them, so it slowly led to a business," said the youthful-looking 61-year-old.

PHOTO: Ms Bebe Seet beading slippers at Rumah Bebe, Peranakan House.
Photo by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead

A fourth-generation Peranakan, she didn't start off as a traditional Nyonya. It was only in 1991, after she had got married and had two children, that she immersed herself in the culture. A pair of beaded slippers she saw in an antique shop in Malacca sparked her fancy. "Frankly, before I became interested in the beaded work, I wasn't even interested in wearing the kebaya," she said, chuckling.

She began by trying to learn beading on her own. "I thought it would be easy because I did handicraft ... but it just didn't turn out the way the beaded shoes looked." So she searched for someone who could instruct her in the techniques but it "was hard because no one was teaching". She finally met a 70-year-old Nyonya who taught her the basics. But the woman died five months later - so Bebe was back to experimenting on her own, unpicking old slippers and trying to replicate the design.

PHOTO: Beaded slippers
Photos by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead

The work is painstaking. It takes her about a month, sewing for five hours a day, to complete a single pair of slippers. The beads, imported from Japan or the Czech Republic, are sewn on a canvas and then mounted on a frame. On occasion, she uses rare faceted antique beads and such a pair of slippers can fetch up to S$1,500.

THINGS OF THE PAST

While Bebe did not grow up in an ultra-traditional home, she was still taught the Peranakan language, Baba Malay, which is a combination of Malay and Hokkien. This is something that is lost now among the younger Peranakans, she feels. Her own two children were not taught Baba Malay.

PHOTO: Peranakan collectibles - Latern
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Today on Sunday, Sunday, July 31, 2011, Page 8, MY LIFESTYLE, faceinthecrowd

"I'm guilty. I wanted them to speak English but it is something I should have done. If their grandmother was still around, then they would be forced to learn because they would need to communicate with her ... But my parents didn't live with me. That's mostly the case with a lot of Peranakans now," she admitted.

PHOTO: Peranakan collectibles - Souvenir
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Other aspects of the culture which she feels are becoming lost includes the respect for elders. "As Peranakans, we are ancestral worshippers, so we had high respect for our parents and grandparents."

The tradition of the young to "sohja" - kneel and pay respects - to the elders during Chinese New Year is no longer observed, she noted.

PHOTO: Peranakan collectibles - Tea pot and cups
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Simple rituals, such as addressing one's elders before one eats as well as marriage ceremonies that traditionally go on for 12 days, are also becoming a thing of the past, she says.

As with many Peranakans, Bebe is very particular about how food is prepared. "I don't believe in using powder and preserved tamarind as spices when you can get fresh ones ... In Peranakan cooking, I also use a lot of oil and I would stir-fry my dishes until the fragrance comes out."

PHOTO: Harvest of the Sea dinner buffet, complete with lobsters, crabs and sashimi!
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http://sparklette.net/food/concorde-hotel-lunch-buffet/

However, in an era where time is money, she finds it more convenient to use the blender to make rempah (spice paste). "Times have changed. I think if the Nyonyas had grinders in the past, they would use it."

PHOTO: Fried oyster omelette, garnished with spring onions and coriander
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http://sparklette.net/food/concorde-hotel-lunch-buffet/

When asked about the common misconceptions people have about Peranakans, Bebe said: "We do not like to be categorised as Malays! Not that we have anything against Malays but we are Peranakans. We are not Malay nor Chinese," she laughed.

PHOTO: Peranakan collectibles - Souvenir
Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead

In spite of the gradual dissipation of the culture in Singapore, of late, there have also been signs of a revival of popular interest. The Channel 8 series The Little Nyonya, which reflected the life of Peranakans in the 1930s, became a huge hit. Then there was the opening of the Peranakan Museum in 2008, and Stella Kon's much-loved play Emily of Emerald Hill returned to the local stage earlier this year.

PHOTO: Sarong kebaya
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http://bitsistemi.it/admin/peranakan-costumes&page=3

Bebe, as a committee member of the Peranakan Association, has also done her part in promoting the culture. For instance, she has modernised the sarong kebaya by using softer fabrics such as silk and cotton voile ("they can tie it, which gives it a more versatile look"), and introducing more vibrant colours - moving away from the traditional soft cotton and earthy tones.

PHOTO: Ms Bebe Seet beading slippers at Rumah Bebe, Peranakan House
Photo by Syafiqah Hamid, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://www.todayonline.com/Sunday/FaceintheCrowd/EDC110731-0000001/Stepping-to-the-Peranakan-bead

Services that Rumah Bebe offer include in-house tours, shoe-beading classes and demonstrations, and rental of traditional wedding costumes. On how she intends to keep promoting the Peranakan culture, Bebe said: "It's very hard. For us Peranakans to really do our part to spread the culture even among ourselves is tough because it's not being followed any more. Even my daughter is not interested in the culture."

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