history is fun

The intention of this section of your project is to give glimpses of how people went or in this instance go about their everyday lives in Katong. How did people amuse themselves in this area and how now? How did people perform religious rituals and what were their customs and can your photographs now tell you anything? What kind of homes did they live in and what about now? What and where did they eat? Are these places still around serving the same food? What was school life like and what about the school now? What was family life like and how has it changed? As a whole we are asking you what was Katong like in the past, in terms of peoples, places and cultures; and what is Katong like now?

Through this endeavour, we hope to take you away from what is often written about Singapore history – its political and economic development – and see for yourself how life has gone about over the years. We are talking about a way of life that is of Katong – some has vanished and some still remain. The concept of change and continuity.

You may say that we are creating a sense of nostalgic; looking for a Katong that only the older Singaporeans remember. But, by drawing on our historical imagination, these photographs will tell us more stories of the people you interviewed. What were/are the tensions and contradictions they faced? How has life changed for them? Are they still able to continue or revisit their past in our fast-paced society?

Of the places you studied, the photographs will be able to give you a sense of time as a place may be thought of as a process, a ‘process of becoming’ (Pred, 1984).
Of the cultures you came across, the photographs will draw your attention to change and continuity. Are cultural practices, events and celebrations still acted out collectively or have they become more individualistic and voluntary?

Look at them through the historical, sociological and anthropological lenses and let your imagination tell you more about the social history of Singapore.

Details:
Requirement:
1. Acquire 8 to 10 photographs (e.g. 2 of the past, 7 of the present);
2. Provide a short write-up for each photograph (one or two lines will suffice);
3. Hand in the hardcopy (i.e. either scanned images on A4 or photographs pasted on A4

Marking scheme:
1. Effort (number of photographs submitted) 10%;
2. Aesthetic values (current photographs, i.e. those you have taken) 30%;
3. Write-up (you need to know what you are submitting e.g. inferrence of the photograph and a short description of what you have taken) 30%
4. Relevance (to your topic) 30%

Given the above, you won’t fail as long as you do your part and we do ours.

Deadline: 07/03/08


You may acquire your photographs from books, newspaper cuttings, magazines, internet, postcards, archival and private collections for the old photographs. Of course, those you have personally taken too.

All in all, this section may sound easy. But, to make sense of history, places, people, culture, processes, change and continuity may be difficult – be selective!

I will be posting some photographs for you as a guide soon.

Thank you.

Leo

Warning!!! If you have not attempted the questions, pls scroll down to do so before looking at the answer.

This is a good practice to prepare you for tomorrow's CA.

Here you go.


1. From Source A, I can infer that the society in those days was rather lawless and the authority had little control over the people. This can be supported by the gang war which took place for several days leaving many people dead.

In addition, I can also tell that the society in those days was already involved in vices and illegal activities as Source A states that the fight was ‘over the ownership of a gambling den and an opium house.’


2. This report was made to show that secret societies were menaces of society. In the source, it is known that boys and girls were kidnapped by these secret societies.

This report was also made to reveal the difficult life of Chinese immigrants. This can be supported by the source that says that they could easily be abducted by secret societies ‘sold into slavery’ and some might even get killed if they tried to disobey their orders.

Lastly, as this is a report by a British investigator carried out for the British authority, its purpose was to show the hard lives of the Chinese immigrants and the lack of respect shown by the secret societies to the law of Singapore. By reporting the truth, it is hoped that the British authority would do something to tackle the problem of secret societies and make Singapore a safer place to stay.


3. Source C is unreliable as it says that secret societies in those days were law-abiding and existed as a source of social support for the Chinese. It says that they were ‘peace-loving’ and always ready to help their ‘countrymen in need’.

However, when I cross-reference with Source B, B states that secret societies were involved in abducting new immigrants and selling them into slavery and killing them if they did not obey their orders. Therefore, Source B disagrees with Source A.
Besides, when I cross reference Source C with Source A, A states that secret societies were fighting over the control of a gambling den and opium houses. Due to this quarrel, many people had lost died. Therefore, Source C is unreliable.

Lastly, as Source C is a statement made by the headman of Hai San to the police and his purpose was to defend himself and his secret society, what he said could not be reliable. This is because if he had confessed about all the illegal activities that they were involved in, he might be charged and sentenced. He had to lie and so hoping that the police would not have enough evidence to charge him. Therefore, Source C is unreliable.

Good luck!

Leo

Hi, sorry to keep you waiting.

Here’s the practice question.

Source A

After a few days of fighting, many dead bodies were found on the street. Many of those who died were young Chinese in their twenties. The cause of the fight was over the ownership of a gambling den and an opium house between two secret societies, namely Ghee Hin and Hai San.

An eyewitness’s account of a gang war in Singapore in 1878.

Source B

Many young girls and boys were abducted by secret societies once they came on board. Some were sold to into slavery and some ended up dead when they tried to escape. The police could not do anything to save them.

A British investigator’s report on secret societies in Singapore.

Source C

Our society is peace-loving. We would never commit crimes nor create troubles for the British government. Our goal is always to help our fellow countrymen in times of need.

A Hai San headman’s statement presented in a British court.

Questions:
1. What does Source A tell you about Singapore society in the 1870s? 4m
2. Study Source B - Why was this reported presented? 5m
3. Is Source C reliable? 6m

Answers will be posted by Sunday evening.

Best wishes.

Leo

Hi all,

Just a few things to share before your CA.

SBQ

1. Inference
a. Always use your own words for inference and look beyond the obvious;
b. You can quote directly from the source for evidence;
c. Give 2 inferences (3 if you want to be safe)
d. 2-3 paragraphs

e.g.
Source A tells me that the Singapore had a life before Raffles' arrival. This can be supported by the discovery of fruit trees such as durain and pomelo in Singapore then.

In addition, Source A tells me that the early settlement was prosperous. This is evident in the discovery of gold ornaments found.

2. Why?
a. Same as inference;
b. Third p// must be on purpose. Identify the author or creator, targeted audience, purpose, expected outcome.
Do it this way: e.g. The news was created by the communists and was addressed to the villagers. The communist’s purpose was to convince the villagers that the British were bad rulers so that they would not support the British and joined them instead.
c. 3-4 paragraphs
e.g.
The British created this poster because they wanted to portray the communists as dangerous and unpredictable. This can be supported by the poster that shows the dog representing the communists biting its owner.

The British also created this poster to show that the communists could be greedy and lack humanity. As the dog the communists know no kindness and do not know when to stop taking from people.

Lastly, the British created this poster to address to the mass public that the communists were unreliable and should be avoided at all costs. The British purpose is to warn them about the communists so that they would not support or provide for the communists.

For reliability, see earlier post.

Still always remember to infer first, then cross-reference and then attack the source in question. Look out for who, why, for who, purpose to wrench out its reliability or unrelaibility.

Best wishes!

Leo

Hi guys,

4 easy steps for the submission of Family Album Project

1. Choose a photo
2. Do a write-up on its significance
3. Scan the photo and write-up
4. Email to : victoriaschoolhistory@gmail.com

Remember to write your name, class and index no. on the document.

Deadline: 11th Feb

Thank you.

Hi all, this is an excerpt of an oral history interview done several years ago by a few seniors of yours. The original transcript is much longer and more detailed. This is just a section from it. At the end, I have written a reflection based on that encounter. As a whole, this is how your transcript and reflection should look like for the second part of your project.

Thank you. Here we go.

Oral History Interview with Pak Ismail, a retired boatman

Hamdan: Uncle, we’re here to interview you so as to know more about your life and history. Can you tell us your full name?
Uncle: Yes. Ismail Bin Awang.
Hamdan: And your age?
Uncle: Seventy-five years old.
Hamdan: Now where do you live?
Uncle: Hougang, St. 78
Hamdan: Is there any more family members whom you still live with?
Uncle: Yes, I live with my children.
Hamdan: How many children do you have?
Uncle: I have seven children altogether. Two boys and five girls.
Hamdan: Do you have any grandchildren?
Uncle: Yes, I have fourteen grandchildren.
Khairul: What did you like to do when you were young?
Uncle: I loved to fish at Coney Island.
Khairul: What school did you come from?
Uncle: I came from a Malay school named Aruzu, an old school under a shelter, but I stopped during the time of the British.
Khairul: How was education in the past?
Uncle: We sat on the ground.
Hazreen: Were there books?
Uncle: Yes there were, but as times were hard, we used cloth to wrap our books.
Hamdan: What were the subjects taught back then?
Uncle: Two Malays were taught.
Hazreen: Was there any Co-curricular activities then?
Uncle: No, there wasn’t.
Khairul: Who were the people or friends you mixed with when you were of our age?
Uncle:I mixed around with Indians and the Chinese when I was around twelve years. After that, I followed my dad to sea. My dad was a fisherman back then.
Hazreen: What were the games you played when you were young?
Uncle: My friends and I liked to put attach strings through the top of a sardine can and we liked to watch them being pulled. We also liked to push the metal rim of a bicycle wheel by using a stick.
Hazreen: Did they have any special name for the games?
Uncle: No, they weren’t. We invented those games.
Hamdan: Now we would like to ask you more about the Japanese War and the Japanese Occupation. How old were you when the War occurred?
Uncle: I was about nineteen when the War started. I was here in Punggol when I saw that there were cannons near the ford, which was being set up. All the cannons were pointed to Pasir Merah, which is now known as Pasir Gudang. When the setting up of the cannons was finished, the British came to out Kampong and told us to leave. That was part of their good; it showed that they cared for us. Everyone in the Kampong was shifted to Johor. My aunt works in Johor as a rubber tapper. One day, as I followed her, I saw a flag. It was a Japanese flag. We were on an island called Pulau Tukang. My father gathered the people who originally lived in the Kampong and we went to see the Japanese. What did the Japanese say? They told us to hunt for pigs and chicken. So we did and we gave them our catch. They gave us a portion of our catch back to us. Then, the Japanese told us to go to the other side of the hill, so that if there were gunfire, we would not be shot. At a point of time, an officer came to us. We were afraid as we thought that we would be shot, but no. This officer was good. Instead, he told us to look out for boats. Officers who were not good were those who were bald.
Hamdan: What were your feelings then?
Uncle: Oh, at that time, it was very difficult. We had to hide in the fort. The water we were in was equivalent to half my height. We had to wait because if we came out of it we would be shot. That time the surrounding and scenery was very terrible. Once the Japanese surrendered, we heard on the radio that those who originally lived in the Kampong in Singapore were allowed to return. However, we had to return to Sembawang instead to obtain a letter of agreement not to live there anymore because of the smell, which had come from the dead bodies of people who have been shot. The dead bodies were everywhere.
Hamdan: Who do you prefer then, the Japanese or the British?
Uncle: Oh, definitely the British.
Hazreen: Whom did the Japanese like to attack? The adults or the children?
Uncle: No, they liked to attack mostly the women of all races. However, some of the women put charcoal on their faces. The Japanese would not attack such women. If pretty women were spotted, that’s the end of them. Goodness knows what they do to them.
Hazreen: How was the food then?
Uncle: We ate ubi kayu.
Khairul: Were there any harm done to your family members?
Uncle: No, all of them were safe.
Hamdan: How often did the killing take place?
Uncle: We did not see any of them died, but when we returned we saw many dead bodies all over the place.
Hamdan: How did you feel when the Japanese surrender and the British took over?
Uncle: I felt happy, because we could buy better clothing.
Hamdan: Was there anything the British did that was not fair to the Singaporeans back then?
Uncle: No, we liked their way of ruling.
Hamdan: Lastly, is there any incident that you cannot forget?
Uncle: Yes. I remembered a time I went to the sea. I saw elephants in the sea near Changi. I was around ten to fifteen years of age back then. I saw the elephant raise its trunk, and I saw water sprout out of it. I also remembered another incident. It also happened when I was in my boat. Its arms were very short ant it had a triangular head. There were three of them. I didn’t go towards them. They would kill me if I did. There was also an animal called the “mawas”. It looked exactly like an orang-utan except that it eats people, was very tall and the face was at the back of its head. They can be seen around 3.00a.m.
Khairul: That’s all, uncle. Thank you very much.

Reflection
It was our very first attempt at oral history interview, to be honest, we were rather nervous. We started well with the warm up questions and then went on to talk about Pak Ismail’s childhood and adulthood; experiences of life under the British, Japanese Occupation, the communist insurgency, merger and life now. We were very fortunate to have him as he had many things to share. The interview, as a whole, went on smoothly. We communicated in Malay throughout. Mr Leo was the only one who felt a little left out.

We like our choice of interview site as it was just right by the beach at Ponggol end. At times, Pak Ismail would even point at the beach and describe to us how bloody the beach would be and the numerous dead bodies lying around after the Japanese had carried out their execution.

We really enjoyed our time with him and if there was one thing we could improve on, then it would be our questioning techniques. We feel that our questions were a bit restrictive and did not have much room for Pak Ismail to expand the scope of his answers. For example, instead of asking: ‘How was education in the past?’ We should have just said: ‘Tell us more about your school life.’

Nevertheless, to us, we really learnt something useful and meaningful. This encounter has taught my friends and I that everyone has a story to share and this story adds realism to our history and through Pak Ismail’s memory, he has brought us back in time to see what we would never see, hear what we would never hear, feel what we would never feel. His words were not his alone, but were of everyone of his era. His words were theirs and his-story.

Hi guys, Mr Khoo has recommended this website: http://www.digitalhomelands.sg/ for those who are interested in doing filming for their project.

Check it out!

Lastly, the school may be bringing about 30 sec 2 boys to Cambodia this March. If you are interested, do log on more to our blog. Once it's confirmed, you will hear from us in class again.

Angkor Wat, Bayon and the killing fields...

Leo