“Boatmen of South Indian Muslim origin known as Chulias were recruited for their nautical skills in manning coastal vessels, notably the bulkier tongkangs that required careful handling… After 1867 when Singapore became a Crown Colony ruled directly from London rather than Kolkata, India, the Indian lightermen gradually lost their dominance… Chinese lightermen who operated smaller, more manoeuvrable twakows, took over the riverine trade and largely displaced the Indian boatmen and their larger tongkangs by the early 20thcentury… Traditionally, twakows owned by Teochew boatmen had red “eyes” painted on their front ends while Hokkien-owned boats had green “eyes”. These “eyes” were believed by the boatmen to help the lighters “see” their way, especially when the vessels were plying the open sea between the river and ships anchored offshore. However, they also had the practical function which was to allow boatmen to tell, when the water level reached the “eyes”*, that a boat was fully laden.”
- “Singapore River Walk” (Discover our Shared Heritage, National Heritage Board)
(*The origin of the phrase “up to our eyes in…”?)
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