Title
Hairpins (chuchok sanggul) worn by Toh Gek Eng (1891-1980)
Year/Period
Late 19th – early 20th century
Region
Aceh, Indonesia
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: Refer to parts.
Accession No.
2022-00810
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Kadjin (K.J.) Low
This set of five hairpins in varying lengths, was used in Aceh. In Penang, Peranakan women used between five or seven hairpins. This contrasted with the use of three hairpins (two larger ones with rounded knobs and a third with a gem-set head) in Malacca and Singapore. This set belonged to Toh Gek Eng (1891-1980), a Peranakan woman from Pangkalan Brandan, North Sumatra. Together with her husband, Low Soek Bie (1872?-1937), who established Low Guan Bie, a rubber, rice and timber mill company, they had 14 children and lived in Kuala Simpang, Aceh. Today, Toh and her husband’s ashes are housed in the Vihara Buddha Murni Temple in Medan, Indonesia.
