The document provides information on several artifacts from the Asian Civilisations Museum: - The Headless Horseman of Singapore statue discovered in 1998 depicts a man on a horse wearing local dress and holding a stick, indicating he was an important figure. - Coolie trousers represent the cheap labor from China and India who contributed greatly to Singapore's development from 1823-1927. They faced difficult living and working conditions. - The legend of Guan Yin describes how after vowing to help all beings, her head split into eleven pieces and arms shattered before she was given more by Buddha to aid more people. - An Osa Osa stone seat from Nias was used to honor noblemen, carrying them

1. Field Based Lesson
ASIAN CIVILISATION MUSEUM

2. THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF SINGAPORE
• It was discovered during an
excavation in May 1998 along
Singapore River.
• The statue measure 59 mm long,
55 mm high, 3 mm thick, and
weighs 52 grams. It stands on a
flat base 18 mm wide.
• The man on the horse wears a
sarong that stops at his knees, no
shirt and a necklace.

3. Notes written by John Miksic- Associate Professor, Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the NUS and Head of
Archaeology Unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies)
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF SINGAPORE
• His two hands holds a stick, which
may once have had something on
its tip.
• The horse has a complex bridle
and harness.
• The horse has a saddle and wings,
leading us to deduce that the man
on the horse’s back must have
been a very special person.

4. THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF SINGAPORE
Complete Qn 1
of your worksheet

5. COOLIE TROUSERS
• Coolies were the backbone of
Singaporean society.
• The influx of coolie labourers was
between 1823 and 1927, when
Singapore’s economy was growing and
China’s and India’s were in decline.
• In China, steep population growth and
poor economic opportunities in the
mid-1800s, along with opium war,
drove workers to Singapore.

6. COOLIE TROUSERS
• They worked as cheap labour in
Singapore’s ports, go downs,
construction sites, plantations and
jungles.
• They contributed greatly to
Singapore’s growth and development.
• They were great risk-takers who went
to a far-away land with little except
clothes they were wearing.
• They were resilient, hardworking
and persevering.
Notes written by Wai Lin Coultas: a former
teacher, editor and freelance writer, whose ancestors
settled in Singapore six generations ago.)

7. COOLIE TROUSERS
Complete Qn 2a
of your worksheet

8. COOLIES LIVING CONDITIONS (1)
Complete Qn 2b &
2c of your worksheet

9. COOLIES LIVING CONDITIONS (2)
Complete Qn 2b &
2c of your worksheet

10. COOLIES LIVING CONDITIONS (3)
Complete Qn 2b &
2c of your worksheet

11. WHICH PART OF THE STATUE DOES THIS
PICTURE BELONG TO?
Complete Qn 3 of
your worksheet

12. GUAN IM
• In China, Guan Yin is
represented in female form.
• Probably because of Guan
Yin’s great compassion
towards man’s sufferings, a
quality which is traditionally
considered feminine.

13. GUAN IM
Legend:
Guan Yin vowed to never rest until she
had saved many unhappy beings. After
struggling to understand the needs of so
many, her head split into eleven pieces.
The Buddha Amitabha, upon seeing her
plight, gave her eleven heads to help her
hear these cries and comprehend them.
Guan Yin also reached out to help those
who needed aid but only to find her two
arms shattered. Again, Aimtabha came to
help her and appointed her a thousand
arms to let her reach out to those in need.
(en.wikipedia.org)

14. In China, Guan Yin is represented in female form.
Probably because of Guan Yin’s great compassion towards man’s sufferings, a
quality which is traditionally considered feminine.
Legend: Guan Yin vowed to never rest until she had saved many unhappy
beings. After struggling to understand the needs of so many, her head split
into eleven pieces. The Buddha Amitabha, upon seeing her plight, gave her
eleven heads to help her hear these cries and comprehend them. Guan Yin
also reached out to help those who needed aid but only to find her two arms
shattered. Again, Aimtabha came to help her and appointed her a thousand
arms to let her reach out to those in need. (en.wikipedia.org)
THE LEGEND OF GUAN IM

15. GUAN IM Complete Qn 3 of
your worksheet

16. OSA OSA
(SEAT OF HONOUR)
• This is an osa osa (seat of honor).
• It is used when a nobleman is
honored for his merit. He is carried
around the central square on the
seat nine times before being set
down in front of his house.
• The ritual symbolizes his rebirth in
the village with a new status.
Nias people, Central Nias,
Indonesia

17. OSA OSA
(SEAT OF HONOUR)
• In the modern day, we have wooden
seats of different designs depending
on the culture. They also have long
poles on the edges of it for 4 men to
carry it on their shoulders easily. 1.
• This artifact is made of stone, while
the modern version is made of wood.
• This seat has no supporting structure
for men to carry, but the modern
version has.
• The modern version can occupy a
few people, while this seat can
occupy only one.
(Notes taken from
http://singaporeriverih.blogspot.sg/p/asian-
civilisations-museum.html

18. OSA OSA
(SEAT OF HONOUR)
Complete Qn 3 of
your worksheet

19. BLUE AND WHITE DISH
• A shallow porcelain bowl with a flat
rim and floral decoration
• Produced in Iran, then under the
control of the Timurids, one of the
most powerful central Asian empires
• Such blue and white ware produced
during the Timurid period (ca 1370–
1507) was heavily influenced by
Chinese blue and white porcelain,
which was extremely popular and
fashionable

20. BLUE AND WHITE DISH
• Chinese pottery were considered fine
• Timurid wares followed the shapes of
Chinese vessels
• Decorated with similar Chinese motifs,
such as lotuses, floral scrolls, and flying
phoenixes.
• Timurid pottery was exported to
Europe, to capture some of the market
for Chinese blue and white, and it was
sold in the domestic market, as well.

21. BLUE AND WHITE DISH Complete Qn 5 of your
worksheet

22. PRINCELY ROBE
• The robe was worn by a Prince
from the royal family in China
during Qing dynasty.
• There are many patterns on the
robe that set the wearer above the
common man and give him the
authority and power.
• Five clawed dragon : the most
powerful of all creatures in
Chinese culture, associated with
the immediate royal family

23. PRINCELY ROBE
• The pattern of clouds, waves and
mountains symbolise the emperor’s
control of the world.
• Yellow represents the earth, life and
nourishment. Yellow has been used
for court robes of the emperor and
close members of the imperial
family since the Tang dynasty.
• The tapered sleeves and horse-hoof
cuffs reflect Manchu influence and
their nomadic tradition.

24. PRINCELY ROBE
Complete Qn 6 of your
worksheet

25. JALI SCREEN
• This is one half of a pair of jali
windows. There are many shapes that
make up the design of the Jali.
• Hexagons, octagons, floral motifs etc
Jali windows are made to allow light
and air into a house.

26. JALI SCREEN
Mughal art was also inspired by
European and Persian influences.
Decorative art on Islamic monuments
were generally inspired by geometry and
non-representational art forms.

27. JALI SCREEN
Complete Qn 7 of your
worksheet

28. THE END