| Lat's Lion |
| According to
the Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu), Sri Tri Buana (also variously
known as Sang Nila Utama or Parameswara) siezed control and settled
in Temasek with the help of the orang laut who populated the
southern end of the Melaka Straits. He soon renamed Temasek as Singapura,
a sanskrit name for the 'Lion City', after
seeing a lion-like creature there. A few years later, he was disposed
of his seat of power and he fled northwards into Malay Peninsula where
he founded the city of Melaka. The cartoon (below) was drawn by the
famous satirist Lat in a series commissioned and displayed in Fort
Canning Park. Traditional Malay narratives, such as the Sejarah Melayu and Hikayat Siak, should not be seen as fanciful South-east Asian stories to be read. Historians strongly believe that these chronicles were instrumental tools used by ancient royalties in shaping and regulating societies found in the various (and often contentious) Malay kingdoms around Malacca Straits. Chroniclers throughout the ages wrote in the pleasure of their kings and queens, and were expected to add mythical flavouring to their semi-historical narratives which served to reinforce the divine-decreed power and lineage of the ruling monarchy, and in essence, to remind their subjects of their subjugated place in society. In retrospect, today's world is no different. In place of 'chroniclers' are spin-doctors hard at work for unscrupulous politicians. Satirist-cartoonists will readily attest to it! (ha ha!) In any case, a greater part of early Singapore history is sadly missing in our present primary and secondary school syllabus which could be effectively 'taught' through story-telling activities. If you want to give your own child that added dimension, read and learn from the recently published work of John N. Miksic et al - 'Early Singapore, 1300s - 1819: Evidence in Maps, Text and Artefacts' (publisher: Singapore History Museum; 2004), and 'Singapore 150 years' - published for the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society by Times Books International. |
