Group 5 society & ritual

5. SOCIETY, RITUAL & COMMUNICATION

1. SITE

Migration Diagram

Sekinchan is built up with various race of people, where there travelled far away from there homeland which is India, China and Indonesia, which for now is known as the Indians, Chinese and Malays.

The villagers were separated, and hence formed site Paddy Field, Town Area, Fishing Village and Bagan which is known as a coastal rice planting area.

Sekinchan got its name from its Chinese name "Shi Geng Zhuang", which means “suitable for farming�. The place was once a wetland idle.

PADDY FIELD

From 1973 onwards, residents began planting rice with the encouragement of the authorities’ scheme of the Green book. At that point, all of the rice could be very difficult to develop commercially because it relies upon human labor. The farmer fashionable of dwelling did not enhance.

Earning has increased because of the perseverance and staying power of the Sekinchan Chinese farmers. Selfattempt to improve productiveness has triumphed by the subsequent approach: - Bringing in Taiwan new era and new breed of rice.

- The usage of modern equipment in farming to growth production rice yields.

- Exact irrigation device substances to same amount of water to each paddy discipline - Utilize the transplant device can contribute to better yield.

- Observe fertilizer at proper time and sufficient quantity.

TOWN

The town area of Sekinchan is located in between the fishing village and paddy field area, which is more developed. It is known as the common area where all the villagers gather.

Besides that, it's also a place where all the public facilities like schools, clinics, market, restaurants, religious places and others located.

FISHING VILLAGE

The Fishing Village of Sekinchan is located south west of the town. The site comprises of 4 lanes, namely Lorong 1, Lorong 2, Lorong 3 and Lorong 4. All four lanes are adjacent to each other. Lorong 1 and Lorong 2 are connected by Jalan Bagan while Lorong 3 and Lorong 4 are connected by Jalan Sungai Labu. The lanes all lead to ‘Ang Moh Gang’ river, which flows to Redang Beach.

In the early days 1920's, Sekinchan started as a small fishing village and the main one is Bagan. The early Teochew settlers were mainly fishermen. During the era of British colonization in Malaysia, there were frequent sightings of British near the docks at the fisherman village. The British people were referred to the locals as ‘Ang Moh’ . As a result, the seaports near the coastal area of the fishing village are known as ‘Ang Moh Gang’.

2. POPULATION & RACES

POPULATION DIAGRAM IN PADDY FIELD & TOWN AREA

There are 20,000 populations in Sekinchan which the majority of them are Chinese and the minor of Malays follow by the other races. Birth rate in Sekinchan is low compare to the city due to the low standard of living.

Most of the people living in Sekinchan is older generation and children, while the younger generation leave the town to city due to the low standard of living.

The fishing village is densely populated by Chinese people, in which most of the fishermen are of Teow Chew ethnicity. The most of the villagers have the surname of Pan and Tse, as seen from the signs hung outside of their homes with their surnames written on it. This reflects the common Chinese tradition that the villagers still carry out. Apart from that, the village is also populated by a small number of foreigners who work in the seaports as well as the ice factory.

POPULATION DIAGRAM IN FISHING VILLAGE

OVERALL POPULATION DIAGRAM IN SEKINCHAN

3. PEOPLE & CULTURE

The town area of Sekinchan consists of about four hundred households and most of the residents are Teochew, Hakka and Hokkien whom originates from their respective provinces in China.

The town comprises many low budget eateries such as local cafes and hawker stalls which are usually catered for the low income group. On the other hand, there are also restaurants which serves the average or above average income group, and also during festive seasons. The residents in Sekinchan are more business-minded because their businesses have been passed down from generation to generation which managed to help them to earn a living with minimal income.

The school in Sekinchan has smaller scale as compared to city. There are lesser students and thus it is less competitive. As a result, the children are managed to live a calm and peaceful life.

4. SOCIAL PATTERN

SOCIAL PATTERN OF PADDY FIELD & TOWN AREA DURING MORNING

SOCIAL PATTERN OF PADDY FIELD & TOWN AREA DURING EVENING

SOCIAL PATTERN OF FISHING VILLAGE DURING MORNING

SOCIAL PATTERN OF FISHING VILLAGE DURING EVENING

5. TRADES & NATURE OF BUSINESS IN TOWN AREA

The town area of Sekinchan contains a lot of restaurants. There are local cafes where most of the senior citizens gather and have their chit-chat time in the early morning or probably during their rest time in the afternoon. There are also some slightly more luxurious seafood restaurants which attract not only the citizens but also the tourists, mostly the people from town, to come and savour the fresh seafood in Sekinchan.

Apart from that, according to the town plan, there is a fish market located on the right side of Jalan Gereja, opposite of the paddy field, the place is where the fish villagers sell their gatherings. The residents and also tourists get to buy the sea products there with reasonable prices.

TRADES & NATURE OF BUSINESS IN PADDY AREA

Red bean brown rice is a must try for tourists who pay visit to Skinchan Paddy Field. It's sweet, chewy and delicious!

TRADES & NATURE OF BUSINESS IN FISHING VILLAGE

Although majority of the villagers work as fishermen, there are still a number of different trades happening in the village. These trades are mostly related to its geographic context as a fishing village.

The ice factory is the main supplier of ice to the seaports.

These ice are used to keep the daily catch fresh for import.

Apart from that, the ice is also delivered to the nearby restaurants.This is the only shipyard in the village. It builds all the boats that fishermen use for fishing. It also does maintenance and repair for all the boats in the village. There are 3 different sizes of boats built here which are small, medium and large. The small boats only go out to sea for four hours while the large boats go out for a minimum of 4 days, which can reach up to weeks.

Only boats of medium and large size are allowed for deep sea fishing.

There are several restaurants here that feature the local catch of the fishing village’s seaports through their food, which are mostly seafood cuisine. The restaurants also take pride in Teow Chiew cuisine, with examples being the seafood porridge which is traditionally Teow Chiew and highly advertised by the restaurants. The hawker centers however, are catered to the locals and serve simple typical Chinese hawker fare, which are more affordable.

ICE FACTORY

SHIPYARD

SEAPORT

The ice factory is the main supplier of ice to the seaports.

These ice are used to keep the daily catch fresh for import.

Apart from that, the ice is also delivered to the nearby restaurants.

This is the only shipyard in the village. It builds all the boats that fishermen use for fishing. It also does maintenance and repair for all the boats in the village.

There are 3 different sizes of boats built here which are small, medium and large. The small boats only go out to sea for four hours while the large boats go out for a minimum of 4 days, which can reach up to weeks. Only boats of medium and large size are allowed for deep sea fishing.

The seaport is the main working place of most of the villagers. It is mostly located across their houses as they will just walk over and work there. It is the place where they get all the sea foods and fishes from the boat out from the sea up to the port. Where they will start grouping and preparing the sea foods and fishes for sale. They will just start taking care of the extra skin and unwanted parts of the fishes and sea foods. All of the sea foods and fishes will be ready for restaurants or sell at the market.

Heading

SUNDRY SHOPS

RESTAURANTS

FISH NET FIXING

There are a few sundry shops along the main road outside the fishing village that serve the community of the fishing village by providing them with everyday goods. Villagers rely on these shops to do their daily purchases since they don't have supermarkets.

There are several restaurants here that feature the local catch of the fishing village’s seaports through their food, which are mostly seafood cuisine. The restaurants also take pride in Teow Chiew cuisine, with examples being the seafood porridge which is traditionally Teow Chiew and highly advertised by the restaurants. The hawker centers however, are catered to the locals and serve simple typical Chinese hawker fare, which are more affordable.

The villagers and the foreigners they hired will be on their boat or outside their house, fixing the fishing net or making a new one. They need to prepared for the next catch in the big sea.

DIAGRAM OF TRADES & BUSINESS DISTRIBUTED IN FISHING FILLAGE

6. COMMUNICATION Seaport workers chatting with each other while sorting out catch

The locals comunicate with other locals using their mother tongue which is Teo Chew. Teo Chew is a Chinese dialect. As for the foreigner, the local communicate with them using Bahasa Melayu which is the common language understood by everyone in Sekhinchan, no matter what race.

Villagers communicate well with each other as there is no racial discrimination and they mix harmoniously even with the foreign workers. When the workers sort out seafood after the catch has arrived, they sit in groups around tables and chat with each other continuously while they work.

Retired man gathering with his other retired friends at empty sea port relaxing on hammock

Middle aged couple speaking in Teow Chiew

As for the retired people, they gather at hawker centers during the afternoon to talk over a cup of tea for long hours. They also gather at seaports to relax on hammocks while talking to their friends who are also relaxing there.

Another way that the villagers keep in contact is to gather at the karaoke center, which has become a favorite gathering spot for the locals as they share a common love for singing.

Chinese seaport worker observed to be speaking in Teow Chew constantly

Foreign seaport worker happy with working environment free of discrimination

Local trying to figure out repair solution with foreign worker in Bahasa Malaysia

Another foreign worker happy with discrimination free work environment

7. CULTURAL VALUES & BELIEFS

Sekinchan owes its cultural diversity to the distinctive races and ethnics group who commit every effort to construct lively community. Although it is located in a remote area, the residents try to make a living here in sustainable ways. What makes Sekinchan special is its cultural differences which brought about a wide variety of entertainment, traditional folklore and spiritual faiths to the district. Despite the fact that the villagers have different cultural values and beliefs, they live together in harmony.

Students of different races get along with each other by hanging out at the food truck located outside their school.

Families within the fishing village place their surname on the house plate in front of their house as an alternative for house numbers, which makes them to get located easily.

Altars found scattered throughout the village outside residential houses and work places.

One of the many Taoist temples found in the village.

Most of the villagers are Taoist , which can be seen through the altars placed outside the homes and the several temples placed throughout the village .There are no mosques or churches to be found in the village.

On the 4th of May of the lunar calender, every taoist resident festival, in which some residents will patrol the sea in 7 boats while performing some rituals. This festival is of great significance to the locals as it is believed that the Landlord God will ensure their safety for their fishing journey.