The Singapore History Gallery, presented by the National Museum of Singapore is a 2 800 square metre gallery which uses a story telling approach, to reveal different viewpoints through tales from the 14th century to the present. The Singapore History Gallery is divided into eight sections highlighting the changes from the past to the modern times while offering its visitors the chance to relieve in the times when the ancestors and elders residing in Singapore once lived in.
Out of the many artefacts which I have seen in the gallery, the portrait of an Amah interested me the most. Amahs were indentured domestic female servants generally arriving from Pearl River Delta, China; These Amahs were highly sought after by affluent families, mainly the rich families and colonial expats settled in Singapore. While some of the Amahs came to Singapore to seek better job opportunities to avoid marrying which was seen as a loss of freedom back home, others left their families back in China when they lost their faith their husbands as they had dwindled away all their hard earned money by getting addicted to opium and even resorted to selling their own children.
Thus, most Amahs took the oath of celibacy which led them to have pleated hair which was left uncut thereafter, becoming the “ma jies” in Singapore whom often acted as a surrogate parent to her employer’s children, staying and looking after the family for such a long time which was enough to see the kids grow up and form families on their own. These Amahs usually spend their entire lifetime serving the same family during the early to mid-20th century while dressed in white tunic blouses and black silk trousers which was most likely imposed by the European employers who preferred their servants to be dressed in a uniform.
Without families of their own, Amahs provided all their love to the families they served. As such, many Singaporeans will remember fondly the efficient and dedicated Amahs of their childhood with abundant stories of their loyalty such as those who continued working without wages during the tough times of World War II, even going out to work to support their masters. With few exceptions, all employers thought highly of their Amahs and considered them “loyal, hardworking, reliable and honest”.
In this particular portrait of an Amah in the National Museum of Singapore, the Amah dons a white tunic blouse with what I assume would accompanied by a pair of black pants had a full body portrait been taken. With her hair tied into a single pigtail, it is implied that the Amah in the portrait had chosen to remain unmarried for the rest of her life and planned to devote her time and skills to work hard for her employers. The portrait was among other exhibits related to the times when Singapore was a “European Town”, which was also the time when Amahs flourished in Singapore.
The Amahs in Singapore were also believed to be employed by the Europeans, Babas and Chinese families to take care of the children, leading to them being the surrogate parents. This can be supported by the looping of a woman singing lullabies in various languages such as Malay, Chinese and English as the background music for that specific part of the museum exhibit. Since the songs played were lullabies, it can be inferred that the Amahs hired by the wealthy families usually sang to put the employer’s child to sleep as a replacement for the child parents themselves. Moreover, in another gallery in the National Museum of Singapore, more specifically the Photography gallery, a photograph of an Amah shot affectionately together with several European children was on display, further proving that Amahs were hired by the Europeans to take care of their children which inevitably forged a bond between them.
In addition to the background music played in the exhibition area, there were also several artefacts placed in the same hall as the Amah’s portrait. In the few artefacts displayed in the same hall, there were letters as well as papers which were receipts for the remittance of money. The letters were most probably received from their homelands and relatives in China which would often be read by letter writers as most Amahs were illiterate. Since papers for remittance of money could be found, it can be implied that most Amahs remitted money back home through the Bank of China to perhaps secure a house when they retire or to provide for their relatives or families back home.
This specific portrait of the Amah supported by other artefacts as well as the choice of background music played in the exhibit area depicts the life of the domestic indentured female servants who came to Singapore from their hometown back in China. It tells the story of why the Amahs left their homeland, how they are often identified by their white tops, black bottoms, and single pleated long hair, and who were their employers here in Singapore. In conclusion, the story of the Amahs is presented in the gallery as they were a significant part of the history of Singapore as many well to do families hired one or more Amahs who would care for their children as well as the entire household as a whole.