Rubber tappers in Seletar

This photo shows a group of Indian rubber tappers waiting in line for their pails of rubber sap to be weighed in early 20th century Seletar. ‘Seletar’ is a Malay word that refers to the aboriginal coastal people called ‘orang seletar’ who had originally lived along the mouth of the Seletar River and marshlands of the Johor Straits. In the early part of the 20th century, numerous plantations could be found there, most notable of which was rubber. The area was home to a thriving rubber industry led by prominent Chinese businessmen such as Mr. Lim Nee Soon and Mr. Lee Kong Chian. Many villages (or ‘kampongs’) soon sprung up in the area with the influx of workers and their families, one of which was the Nee Soon Village.

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