The Peranakan Indians in Malaysia trace their roots back to the Malacca Sultanate (15th to 16th centuries). Also known as Malacca Chetties, Peranakan Indians are descendants of intermarriages between two ethnically and culturally different groups; Indian men from South Indian and Malay or Chinese women from Malacca.
This distinctive group of people are Tamil speaking people who came to Malaya from the southern part of India. While they adopted Malay and Chinese cultural practices, they retained their Hindu faith and heritage. In their everyday life, they draw from and adapt to other local cultures, in particular the Baba Nyonya and Malay cultures. Today, the Peranakan Indian community are a unique sub-group, with its hybrid blend of cultures and customs.
Chetti Malacca
As early as the 1300s, Indian tradesmen from South India sailed to Sumatra, Indonesia for commerce. Malacca’s strategic location in between, made it a popular stop over, and a number of Hindu tradesmen chose to settle in this bustling entrepot. Because assimilation was requisite for business, cultural and personal reasons, the Peranakan Indian community was born.
Peranakan Indians are different than Peranakan Chinese, who are also commonly known as Baba-Nyonya. The Indians in Malacca during the 15th and 16th centuries were largely traders. Their core trade activities involved the exchange of staple raw produces collected from many parts of Southeast Asia for manufactured goods from India. Malacca became an important collection point for produces such as spices and silk for Southeast Asia. Indian trade in Malacca flourished with its trading networks expanding to many parts of Southeast Asia.
On the other hand, Baba Nyonya traders gained ground with the Malacca court through diplomatic marriages, business expertise and the knowledge of languages spoken locally. Their influence is not restricted to matters of port and business activities alone but expanded to politics as well.
Traditional Customs
One of the most important Chetti customs comes from the Qing Ming Festival, a Chinese tradition also known as the tomb-sweeping festival. Unlike the usual Indian practice of cremation, the Chetti followed the Chinese custom of burial. And when the time came to pay respects to their ancestors, they too would visit the graves, clear the weeds and make offerings.
Image: Chetti Melaka Facebook Page
This is then followed by a mixed ritual called Bhogi Parachu, ancestral prayers incorporating Indian and Chinese elements. At home, the Chetti would fill banana leaves with their ancestors’ favourite foods – as Indians would do – while lighting red candles according to Chinese prayer customs. It is a reunion day for Chetti families, where everyone comes together.
The Malacca Chetties also had their own unique traditional costumes. Women can generally be seen in a saree or a kebaya and a sarong. A kerongsang (three-tiered brooch) and kasut manik (beaded shoes) would complete the look on more formal occasions.
Men, on the other hand, might be seen in a baju cekak musang (shirt with stiff raised collar), sarong pelikat (chequered sarong), thundu (long cloth tied around the waist and draped across one shoulder or worn as a headdress), and thalapa (folded headdress).
Traditional Chetti outfits reflected the styles of the Javanese, Bugis, Acehnese, Batak and Tamil culture.
Peranakan Indian Cuisine
The Chetti Malacca cuisine reflects a fascinating blend of Indian, Malay and Nonya culinary styles that offers a wide variety of delicacies for every occasion. For Chetti Malacca cuisine, traditional Indian spices are typically combined with Malay ingredients such as belacan (shrimp paste), serai (lemongrass), lengkuas (wild ginger), pandan leaf and coconut milk to create unique dishes.
Traditional Chetti Malacca favourites include fish curry, lauk pindang (fish in a tamarind curry), ikan sipat masak nanas (fish in a pineapple curry), and sambal belimbing (pickled sour fruit). The curry dishes are typically accompanied by rice dishes like nasi lemak.
Festivals and special occasions are marked by the preparation of specific dishes. For instance, Chetti Malacca prepare nasi lemak for prayer offerings and nasi kembuli (rice cooked with cashew nuts and spices) for new brides. Puttu, a traditional south Indian dish, is served during the puberty ceremony while dosai (rice flour pancake) and fish curry, are associated with Deepavali.
As with many communities, food remains a central part of the Peranakan Indian identity and brings the young and old together. Special occasions are marked by an abundance of sweets and cakes. These cakes are usually prepared using a combination of coconut, palm sugar and flour based on Malay recipes. Some popular Chetti cakes and desserts include pulut tekan, wajik, onde-onde, kanda kasturi, and pengat durian.
The Peranakan Indians of Malacca is now a very small community, whose numbers are steadily declining. Their unique heritage largely rests in the collective memory of older members of the community.