HISTORY | The Malacca Chettis, also known as Malacca Chitties (not to be confused with the Nattukottai Chettiars, a renowned Tamil Hindu community traditionally associated with moneylending), are a unique Hindu Peranakan community in Malaysia that truly exemplifies multiculturalism.
Numbering approximately 500, they represent the oldest surviving Indian-origin community in Malaysia.
The word “chetti” means trader in Tamil, and their lineage spans about six centuries, blending Indian, Malay, and Chinese influences into a remarkable cultural mosaic.
Origins and history
The Malacca Chettis trace their ancestry to early South Indian traders, predominantly Tamil Hindus, who settled in Malacca in the 15th century.
These traders intermarried with local Malay, Chinese, Javanese, and Batak women, forming a distinct and enduring community. Their descendants would later form the hybrid Malacca Chetti community.
It should be noted that despite Malacca becoming predominantly Muslim by the mid-15th century, small pockets of Hindu-Buddhist Malays remained, particularly in rural areas and merchant circles.
Originally, the Chettis resided in Kampung Keling, near today’s Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (formerly Heeren Street), due to their status as traders. Among their most notable historical figures were Raja Mudaliar, Naina Chetu (Nina Chatu), and Naina Suryadeva.
Raja Mudaliar was one of the wealthiest traders in early 16th-century Malacca. According to “Sejarah Melayu” (The Malay Annals), he served as the Syahbandar (harbour master) but was executed by Sultan Mahmud Syah (1488–1511) after falsely accusing Bendahara Tun Mutahir of treason.
Naina Chetu, a wealthy merchant and possibly a relative of Raja Mudaliar, provided crucial intelligence to the Portuguese that aided in their conquest of Malacca in 1511. He was later appointed as the headman of the Tamil community with the office of Bendahara but tragically took his own life in 1514.
Naina Suryadeva was a prominent spice trader, exporting cloves, nutmeg, and mace to the Moluccas, as well as to Siam, Pegu (Myanmar), Bengal, and China.
During the Dutch occupation, the Chettis relocated near the modern-day Kampung Keling Mosque along Lorong Hang Jebat after Kampung Keling was destroyed during the Dutch invasion of Portuguese Malacca in 1641. The Dutch later rebuilt and occupied the area where Kampung Keling once stood.
Subsequently, trade restrictions forced the Chettis to transition from commerce to agriculture and brick-making. Many settled in Gajah Berang, Tengkera, and Bachang, cultivating rice and maize. Some remained in the city as goldsmiths along Goldsmith Street (Jalan Tukang Emas).
In 1781, Theivanayagam Chitty, by virtue of being the headman of the community, constructed the Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple on land granted by the Dutch. This temple remains Malaysia’s oldest functioning Hindu temple, a testament to the community’s enduring religious heritage.
The site of this main temple proves that the Chetti community lived around it as traders and artisans.
As stated by K Narayanasamy, a leading authority on the Malacca Chettis, the community was administered by the headman through the traditional panchayat system before the formal legal system was adopted.
Under British rule, the Chettis abandoned farming in favour of salaried jobs in the subordinate ranks of the civil service, working as clerks, technicians, and teachers.
Almost half of them migrated to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang.
Present times
Today, the Malacca Chettis have made significant strides in various professional fields, including law, engineering, medicine, aviation, and academia.
According to T Sithambaram Pillay, honorary secretary of the Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple and the Malacca Chetti Community, there are 29 Chetti houses in the main Chetti settlement located in Kampung Chetti, Gajah Berang, Malacca.
The village also includes 32 houses occupied by Chinese residents and nine houses by Indian residents.
A Chetti Museum within the village preserves and showcases the community's rich history, artefacts, and traditions. However, the Malacca Museum Corporation has temporarily closed it due to a lack of paying visitors.
Cultural identity and traditions
The Malacca Chettis exhibit a captivating blend of Tamil Hindu, Malay, and Chinese cultural elements, reflected in their language, attire, cuisine, and customs.
While their ancestors spoke Tamil, generational intermarriage led to the adoption of Bazaar Malay as their primary language. Their speech incorporates a mix of Malay, Tamil, and Hokkien, often referred to as “Chetti Creole”.
For instance, kaco (kacau in Malay), kalo (kalau in Malay), bikin apa (buat apa in Malay), pande (pandai in Malay), topeh (a term for grandfather) combines “to” (Malay) and “peh” (Hokkien), while other familial terms include nenek (Malay for grandmother) and mama (Tamil for uncle).
The Chettis were also eloquent in dondang sayang (love ballads), a Malay traditional musical and poetic performance, involving the singing of pantun (four-line verses).
A renowned Chetti dondang sayang and pantun icon was the late G Meenachi, who was recognised by the Malacca government and the Arts and Culture Department as a “dondang sayang art activist” in 2019.
Religion and spiritual practices
There are 10 Chetti Hindu temples in Malacca, with three being in Kampung Chetti. The majority of Malacca Chettis are Saivite Hindus, worshipping deities such as Shiva, Murugan, and Vinayagar (Ganesha).
They observe Hindu festivals like Deepavali, Ponggal (harvest festival of the Tamils), and Navratri, refrain from consuming beef, and practise vegetarianism on Fridays. Unlike most Indian Hindus, they follow the Chinese tradition of burial rather than cremation of the deceased.
Just like the Chinese, the Malacca Chettis place great importance on ancestral worship, offering prayers to the deceased twice a year.
The first is during the Bhogi ceremony, held on the eve of Ponggal in January, and the second is the Parchu ceremony, observed between mid-June and mid-July during the Tamil month of Aani. They also have their own Qing Ming-style tomb-sweeping festival to honour their ancestors.
A unique festival observed by the Chettis is the Maha Mariamman festival, a 12-day event dedicated to the Hindu goddess Mariamman and held every May. In Malay, it is known as Perayaan Dato’ Cacar because the goddess is believed to have the power to inflict and cure chickenpox.
Attire
Traditional Chetti dress is a fusion of Tamil and Malay styles. Chetti women traditionally wear the baju kurung and sarong kebaya, fastened with three kerongsang (brooches).
Men traditionally don sarongs with a batik cloth headpiece called thalapa. In modern times, younger generations favour Western and Indian clothing, with the sari gaining popularity among women.
Cuisine
Malacca Chetti cuisine is an extraordinary blend of Indian, Malay, and Nyonya flavours.
Signature dishes include pindang ikan parang, a savoury fish curry made with wolf herring, tamarind, and aromatic spices; pindang masak lemak udang nanas, consisting of prawns cooked in coconut milk and pineapple; and lauk haram jadah, a dish of mixed vegetables cooked in chilli paste and coconut milk.
Popular traditional desserts include pengat pisang, where bananas are stewed in coconut milk and palm sugar; kuih wajik, which features glutinous rice with caramelised sugar; and lepat ubi, a sticky tapioca cake.
Marriage and family life
Historically, Malacca Chettis practised endogamy (marriage within their community). However, due to their small population, intermarriage with Indian, Malay, and Chinese groups has become common.
Weddings incorporate Hindu rituals alongside Malay-style decorations, music, and attire.
Prominent Malacca Chettis
Apart from the historical figures mentioned earlier, an early and prominent leader of the Malacca Chettis, Layna Annamalai Chitty served as the community's headman from 1918.
He was conferred the Justice of the Peace award in 1934 by the colonial government in recognition of his community service. He also served as a Malacca municipal commissioner.
Mention must also be made of KL Chitty, a notable teacher at Malacca High School from 1909 to 1920.
Another distinguished Malacca Chetti was B Sithambaram Naiker, a sergeant in the 4th Battalion Malacca Volunteer Corps, who was awarded five medals for meritorious service before retiring as postmaster of the Malacca Postal Department.
He later served as the Managing Trustee of the Chetti community in the 1960s.
Today, the community boasts professionals such as lawyers Sailaja Moreah Thirunawukarasan and Shobashini Devi Pillay, as well as doctors Darshaarn Pillay and Shalini Shantirasegar.
Major challenges
The Malacca Chetti community faces several pressing challenges, including a declining population due to intermarriage and migration, erosion of language and cultural identity as younger generations assimilate into mainstream Indian society and difficulty in maintaining traditions due to their tiny numbers.
Financially, the community is struggling to maintain its many temples and provide facilities for educating the younger generation about its culture to preserve its heritage.
The case for bumiputera status
The Malacca Chettis have been an integral part of our nation’s history for nearly six centuries, fully assimilated into Malay culture by adopting Malay as their mother tongue and embracing many Malay customs. In terms of physical appearance, they closely resemble the Malays.
Moreover, Malacca is their home, and they have no ancestral roots in India. As Narayanasamy aptly stated, none of them “goes ‘home’ to India.”
Despite their deep-rooted presence and cultural integration, their request for bumiputera (a Sanskrit-derived term meaning "sons of the soil") status has yet to be granted.
In contrast, hundreds of thousands of Indonesian migrants who arrived in Malaya in the early decades of the 20th century have been recognised as bumiputera.
This disparity underscores the urgent need for the government to formally acknowledge the Malacca Chettis as bumiputera to safeguard their heritage and identity.
Recognising this issue, in October 2016, the then-Malacca chief minister Idris Haron encouraged the Chetti community to persist in their efforts to obtain bumiputera status.
He stressed that the federal government should conduct a comprehensive study on the local Chetti community and properly acknowledge their contributions rather than denying them their rights.
To conclude, the Malacca Chettis are a living testament to Malaysia’s rich multicultural tapestry. Their harmonious blend of Tamil Hindu, Malay, and Chinese traditions makes them one of the nation's unique ethnic communities.
Given their long-standing presence, contributions, and deep cultural integration, granting them bumiputera status is not only just but also essential for preserving their remarkable heritage for generations to come. - Mkini
RANJIT SINGH MALHI is an independent historian who has written 19 books on Malaysian, Asian and world history. He is highly committed to writing an inclusive and truthful history of Malaysia based upon authoritative sources.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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