Quarantine Station--Cocos (Keeling) Islands

What was it like working on the Cocos Quarantine Station? On Monday, November 28 2016, I was lucky enough to join my daughter's social science class at Cocos Islands District High School as they tried to answer this question.

National Library of Australia photo of Ostriches at Quarantine Station taken in 1995

These Grade 2-3 social scientists are uncovering local history. The topic of concern this week--the defunct Quarantine Station--once formed an important part of what we now call the 'biosecurity' of Australia. By joining them, I had the chance to learn a lot about life on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Nek Diana (Nek Didi); Mr Wicks (Pak Tali); Mak Maesha

The field trip was organised by Social Studies teacher Mr Wicks. Fortunately, Nek Diana, a former employee at the Quarantine Station, agreed to give us a tour. The children had prepared all the right questions; Nek, Mak Mia and Mak Mae helped translate and keep everything running smoothly; I simply had to relax and learn.

National Library of Australia photo of Quarantine Station taken in 1995

Quarantine Station

Basically, the West Island quarantine station provided animal quarantine. Animals being imported to Australia were temporarily kept there. The animals were destined for farms and zoos. Vets could work out if the animals had diseases which could spread to Australian animals. Mostly the animals were healthy, but the workers at the station had to keep them healthy by washing, exercising,  and feeding them. The Quarantine Station apparently operated from 1981. A set of stamps was even issued, in 1996, to commemorate the Quarantine Station. 

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Quarantine Station First Day Cover

The Quarantine Station seems to have wound down in the 2000s. However, 8 elephants were housed here before being cleared for transportation, in 2006, to zoos in Sydney and Melbourne. (You can see them on Cocos in a documentary entitled Flight of the Elephants at around the 34:00 minute mark.) And, more recently, the excellent buildings were put to good use in 2012, housing Sri Lankan asylum seekers. 

Nek Didi

Nek Didi

The Quarantine Station was mostly staffed by workers from the Australian mainland. However, two Cocos Malays, in particular, worked there for many years: Nek Didi and Nek Kaya. So I was very lucky to join in Nek Didi's tour. 

The concrete for the brick buildings was laid by the Cocos Co-op under Nek Ainul and Nek Jamil. Workers from Australian mainland helped build the structures.

Before the tour began Nek Didi explained to us that the animals' blood would be tested. This would ensure that sick animals would not make it to the mainland. Either they would be cured at the Quarantine Station or put down. For larger animals, Nek Didi told us, they would use a gun. The area of the Quarantine Station is large because the animals needed space to exercise.

The tour

First, Nek Didi took us to the barn where they had a machine for making animal food. This machine mixed and pressed grass clippings to make food pellets for the sick animals.

Then we looked at the composting area, where all the waste and dead carcasses were transformed into fertiliser for the fields of the station. The composting area was behind the shed where all the hazardous materials were stored.

Shed for hazardous materials, behind which the composting occurred.

After that, Nek Didi took as into the barns where the animals were washed.

Barns for animal washing? 1995

Mr Wicks and students inspect the same (?) washing facilities in 2016.

Following this, we went to what I think is called the stocks or a stockyard, where a herd of animals is sorted into a single file, leading, ultimately, to the stocks.

Stockyard

At the stocks, the animal is held still for the sample to be taken.

Stocks

Then we saw the animal hospital and laboratory, where the blood samples were analysed.

Bacteriology desk

Finally, we headed up to the mess and single men's quarters. The mess, as the students learned, is a place where people eat. Quarters are places to live for a short while; these quarters were for men who did not have their wives with them, or were unmarried. Nek Didi sometimes resided in the single men's quarters during his working years, because his family lived on Home Island.

Mess hall

The Sri Lankan asylum seekers were temporarily housed in the single men's quarters in 2008; and they used the mess hall and kitchen.


I think this was Pak Didi's favourite part of the tour. Maybe he liked that it was all well maintained. Maybe it was because he had so many nice memories from the time after 'knocking off' (finishing work) for the day. He was very happy to see the BBQ and remember the good times

Mess hall 

Analysis: Social Studies and Social Sciences

Social studies at school typically includes history and geography. At university, students and lecturers branch this out to study political science, anthropology, sociology, politics, archaeology, and so on. Along with history and geography, these studies are called 'disciplines' at university. So, for example, politics is known as one of the disciplines. At university, some people also use the word 'social sciences' to cover all these disciplines.  

Generally, social sciences are distinguished from the 'hard sciences' such as maths, chemistry, and physics. The social sciences are concerned with human life The way social scientists work is basically the same as social studies in school. When social scientists try to understand something, like what life was like working in the Quarantine Station--they start out asking 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' questions. They try to find out how things looked to people involved; like asking Pak Didi about his life working there. They try to visit place that they write about, like going to the Quarantine Station. So whether in social studies and social sciences we use the same techniques to try to understand human life better.

Mess kitchen

One thing that my social studies experience taught me was how much life for Cocos Malays changed as they increasingly became part of Australia. I could see this in how different life was for Pak Didi. Prior to working at the quarantined station, he told me he had collected coconuts as part of the Clunies-Ross's economy. He remembered how hard his life had been; waking while it was still dark, sailing out alone on his jukong, working all day alone collecting coconuts; returning exhausted; only to be paid in the despised plastic tokens. He seemed bitter and disconsolate when remembering that life. He it was like being a fish in a tank

The contrast with work on the Quarantine Station was palpable. He was sad to see the run down state of the animals' area. But he came particularly nostalgic and content when we came to the mess and single men's quarters, which are still in pretty good shape. So I could see how Pak Didi's life experience formed a small part of the large transformation that the Cocos Malays have undergone during Pak Didi's lifetime.

The social studies trip to the Quarantine Station with Nek Didi was a great learning experience for me. It was all thanks to the planning and insight of Mr Wicks, the assistance of Mak Mae, Mak Mia and Nek; the enthusiasm of the social studies students; and, most of all, the expert guidance of Nek Didi. So thank you to Cocos District High School for allowing me join the field trip

Burial on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands

This blog is an account of fieldwork Monika Winarnita and I have undertaken, with our kids, in 2011 (for two weeks), 2014 (for six months), and 2016 (for one month). Here are photos and notes from a burial in 2011.

Reading prayers graveside

My friend, Nek Su, is a repository of many Cocos Malay traditions. He instructed us and others in Cocos Malay dancing. He also catches fish to order--his wife, Ayesha--simply requests one kind of fish, and Nek Su goes out to the lagoon and catches. 

2011 was a time of deep bereavement for Nek Su as his father, aged in his 90s, passed away. As Monika and I were undertaking our first fieldwork visit, I took some photos and asked questions to learn about mourning in a Cocos Malay community. 

I was told that there is a committee which is responsible for washing the corpse at funerals and has duties at other festivities.

Prior to the burial, the corpse is washed. This is an Islamic cleansing ritual called "wudhu".

Then the men make a "payung" (shade, umbrella) This is sprayed with water. I asked one of the mourners why, he responded "I don't know, maybe our ancestors did it that way" ("tidak tahu kenapa mungkin nenek moyang begitu").

Before leaving for Pulu Gangsa

The corpse is then transported to the cemetery Pulu Gangsa("The Island of the Geese"). Actually, this is no longer an island, as the name "pulu" [island] would suggest. Pulu Gangsa now connects with Home Island. So the mourners used the local form of transport, 4 wheelers, and golf buggies, to take themselves and the corpse to the cemetery.

Men, dressed in white, and shaded from the heat with umbrellas, perform prayers graveside.

At the graveside, the mourners recite a prayer for the spirit of the dead ("bacakan doa arwah"). I observed that, like cemeteries in Indonesia, frangipani had also been planted, and a mourner explained that "Frangipanis are [used?] but that's not religion, it's tradition" ("Kembamg Cambodja dibawa bukan ugama, tapi adat").

A mourner takes some time out.

The corpse, wrapped in a white shroud, was placed in the grave and then covered with soil, in accordance with Islamic practice.

Mortuary rituals

Anthropologists call funerals and other ceremonies associated with the dead "mortuary rituals". In many cultures, the final disposing of the body can be delayed for days, weeks, months, or even years. The 'disposing' varies; the corpse can be burned, left to decompose, and parts of the corpse might be consumed. In other cultures (Jewish and Islamic) the body should buried as quickly as possible. Aside from 'disposing' of the body, there are usually attendant rituals both before (think of the Irish wake, which comes before the burial) and after (in Java people celebrate the 1000th day of bereavement with a ritual meal.

Mortuary rituals as rite of passage?

Generally, we understand mortuary rituals as a kind of rite of passage. Rites of passage, it will be recalled, change a person's ritual status from being, for example, unborn to born; or unmarried-married; or child-adult; or undergraduate-graduate. All of these relate to what most Westerners would equate with physical life, so it might seem strange that dying is also thought to be rite of passage. 

One way to understand this is to look at it from the perspective of those involved. They understand that there is a spirit that still survives. This spirit needs to be transformed from being in a living body to another kind of body (possibly, we could say, a dead or decomposing body) or leaving the body altogether. The mortuary rituals, including a funeral, are part of that. 

Even in a Western context, I am familiar with this. I have been to funerals with avowed atheists who say, "I think he [the dead person] is looking over us right now". 

Reasons for mortuary rituals

Even if we do not think of mortuary rituals as a rite of passage, there are obvious psychological functions (dealing with grief) and social functions (bonding the mourners together). 

Jukung

Jukung are small yachts. They used to have significant practical functions. Now, Cocos Malays race them. They also are important symbols.

Jukung in the old copra processing shed.

Cocos Jukung are whaleboats, not outriggers

Cocos Malays have their own kind of yacht called jukung (also rendered "jukong"). Although its practical uses are limited, it still possesses, I think, an important symbolic role. 

On the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the jukung used to be the preferred mode of transport across the atoll. Unlike in Indonesia, where the term "jukung" usually refers to a sailing boat with outrigger/s, on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the "jukung" has no outrigger. Indeed, its design could be equated with what, in the European tradition, is called a "whaleboat".



Viewed from the outside, the jukung has a white bottom (hull), over that are blue and yellow stripes, and then the top of the side (gunwale) has a varnished wood finish. It has a single and a detachable steering plank (rudder) at the back.  It also possesses only one upright pole  (mast) to hold up the sails. Jukung are of varying lengths.

Sizes of jukung

Preparing for race 2014

Jukung come in different sizes. Smaller ones, especially those designed for a single sailor, are called jukung kolek. The jukung club lists the following numbers of  jukung: 16 jukung in the 19'2"-19'8";  7 in the 19'7" - 19'20" [sic.] range; 14 in the 20'1"-20'3"; 12 in the 20'4"-20'6" range; and 2 in the 20'7"-open range. Thus, a total of 51 racing jukung were listed; all around the 19-20 foot range. The picture on the left shows a racing jukung about to head off in a race after Hari Raya

Deteriorating jukung and the shed to house them.

Additionally, many jukung are lying around Home Island, gradually disintegrating. I think this a matter of consternation for many, so the safe storage of jukung has become an important issue for locals. Indeed, when I write this in August 2014, a large shed was being constructed to house them, as depicted on the right.

 Like boats in other traditions, each jukung has its own name.

3 uses for jukung

1. Transport

Jukung have had three main uses.  First, the jukung used to be used for transport (people, coconuts, etc.) around the atoll. The image on the right, for example appears to depict a coconut collector ("nutter") taking a sack of nuts from his jukung to be processed on Home Island.

2. Hunting and fishing

Second, the jukung was used for hunting (spearing fish; sailing to Keeling Island to catch booby birds, catching turtles) and fishing (both line and net fishing).  It was not uncommon, for example, for men to sail a jukung, alone, to Keeling Island and sail back navigating by the stars. Haji Wahiib, for example, remembers waiting at night for his dad to return from Keeling Island.  The photo below seems to depict fishermen returning with a haul.

Plenty of fish in a jukung. Photo courtesy of John Clunies Ross

For various reasons, its first two uses have become obsolete. The coconut industry collapsed in the 1980s; Booby Bird has been banned by Parks Australia; turtles are now considered unfit for eating (i.e. they are thought to be haram). More importantly, for practical sailing, the jukung has been replaced by the internationally favorite small boat, the metal dinghy, otherwise known as "tinny" in Australian English. As a result, many jukung lay rotting around Home Island when I visited in 2014. 

3. Jukung racing

Spectators watch the 1st day of racing

The third use of jukung continues to the present; namely racing after Hari Raya. In 2014 There were five days of racing using progressively larger sails and boats. The races lasted from about 9am-10am. I have written about the races in my blog on Hari Raya .

A small amount of prize money was available for each race. Some of this had been donated by the shire. Some had been raised by the jukung club. The races were competitive, keenly fought affairs. I've put up my shonky recording of a tight finish on YouTube.

These races hold a special place for the community on Home Island. They could be compared to the The Boat Race for Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Nevertheless, according to local residents, the number of competing boats declines as the years go by. 

Fundraising for the jukung club

Market under cyclone shelter

As stated, some of the prize money for the racing had been raised through the jukung club.  They put on a market on Saturday, June 7, under the cyclone shelter. 

The till, manned by Nek Fifi and Nek Sofia

Wives prepared food for sale in plastic containers. Aside from this, Nek Su made some spears. In total, several thousand dollars were raised.

Fish'n'chips tastes better when fried on a wood fire

Symbolism of jukung

Yellow and blue stripes

I'm not sure if this is something that Cocos Malays explicitly dwell upon, but it seems that the jukung symbolism encapsulates much of what is important.

Yellow and blue strips are painted below the gunwale on every jukung I have seen, exactly as in the photo on the right.

Circumcised boy in yellow and blue

Cocos Malays identify yellow and blue as the colors worn by the bride and groom at marriage.  

School colors

The boy who is circumcised wears these clothes too. As I described in a blog on circumcision ceremonies, the ritual 'officially' states that the boy is ready to marry (although in practice this is delayed for several years at least).

Yellow, or more specifically gold, is an auspicious colour in many Malay cultures. 

Yellow and blue are also the colors of the school and its students' uniforms. 

Aside from the yellow and blue, it's possible, as my blog on symbolism speculates, that the jukung symbolizes the phalus or fertility. The back part (stern) of the boat, where the steering plank (rudder) connects, is called the konek (foreskin).

The boat is thus connected with with getting married and producing offspring. I think these two goals remain central to Cocos Malay culture, even as the place of the jukung changes.

Returning to shore after the jukung race, part of 2014  Hari Raya celebrations

History of Jukung

Van der Jagt visited the islands in 1829 and wrote:

 Kaijoe Korongang . is not so plentiful, is hard and is used by Mr. Ross in the construction of light open boats, a purpose for which it is most suitable (Gibson-Hill, "Documents", 1952, p. 152). 

Perhaps these "light open boats" are the forerunners of Cocos Malay jukung.  

FitzRoy, about his 1836 visit with Charles Darwin, wrote "A party of men go in a light boat and look for a fine turtle in some shallow place". About this of the boats, John Clunies-Ross I complained in the "Preface" about the " the tear and wear of the boat upon the sharp and jagged coral". I assume that they are talking about jukung here, but we can't be sure. 

Hari Raya: Evenings and Days

Celebrations mark the end of the Muslim fasting month. The second day is when the fun and games begin.

Henna on the fingertips and decorating the back of the hand

Hari Raya literally means "Day of Celebration". However the celebrations, marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, continue for several days. Days are calculated as beginning at sunset (not midnight or dawn as in European traditions). I've already detailed evening 1 and day 1. This included some pretty serious stuff.  In this blog, I look at evening 2 and day 2, when the celebrations set in.

Evening 2: Parties

Nek Huz (purple) gives speech

Guests listening to speech

The evening was marked by a large party. Several members of a local family celebrated birthdays. These had fallen during Ramadan but it apparently seemed appropriate to hold off on the celebrations until the fasting was complete. The celebration followed a typical jemput makan (eating get-together) pattern. The wives/mothers had prepared many dishes, which were arranged on long tables. Nek Huz gave a speech of thanks.

Yet more guests sitting patiently with plastic plates in hand

Then men got up and served up food for themselves on plates, followed by women. Then the same process was repeated for deserts.

Ladies first for the photo

A few of the men

After that we joined Nek Su and Ayesha for a smaller jemput makan (eating get-together) with members of Nek Su's family. The arrangement was similar, but this was styled as a BBQ. I'm not sure if there were speeches beforehand. Aside from the Nek Su's relatives, my family and a visiting nurse joined the festivities. We took some photos. The women were enthusiastic, but most of the men had something far more important to do. Discussing the jukung racing.

Day 2 Jukung racing and soccer

End of jukung race

Grandfathers enjoying the race

The long-awaited jukung racing started on the morning of day 2. Jukung are local sailing boats. I will write about this in another blog on jukung.

Resting at half time

Shot goes wide and high

The soccer was the first time I have seen the game played on Home Island. Some local boys had marked out the field using white sand. Two teams played.

Enjoying the spectacle

Evening 3

Evening 3 was a unique experience for Home Islanders and also for my family. A group from Malaysia who are staying on Home Island for a couple of months were performing Nasheed. This is a kind of lyrical acapella chanting accompanied with percussion.

Click here to see it live.

Nasheed group

Trestle tables covered with food prepared by wives and mothers

Waiting with plastic plates

More guests for Nasheed

Day 3

I was busy with administrative work on Day 3, so missed both the second jukung race and the second soccer game.

Evening 4

Evening 4 was marked by another big show at the Cyclone Shelter. A community dinner had been organised by PKPK, a local group. We missed this as we had been lucky enough to be invited to Nek, Pak and Mak Den's for dinner. 

Nek Den, Nek Sofia and Daud

Day 4

More jukung racing this morning. It is the third of five races, culminating on Saturday with the largest class of jukung.

Much talking and preparation before the jukung race

Jukung heading out to the middle of the lagoon, where the winds will be stronger.

  Before the evening, it was the boys' turn to play soccer.

Boys' soccer: blue plays yellow

Money given by the shire is given to the participants in the jukung races and soccer games. The boys were no exception--each were given a small amount of cash.

Evening 5

We went to Nek Sofia's house and tried papaya with sambal, and rost chicken and duck. All very delicious.

Day 5

More jukung racing with an exciting end. The footage was filmed from the jetty as was preparing to board the ferry back to West Island, bringing my Hari Raya experience to an end.

Analysis

I think it was Leach who observed that rituals tend to have periods that are apparently playful and apparently serious. A wedding ceremony is mostly serious where as a reception is mostly playful. Then within the serious period there are playful elements (at the ceremony there is a mock kerfuffle over the wedding rings) and within the playful period there are serious elements (at the reception there are tearful speeches).

From the sadness of the graveyard visit to the joy of Nasheed, this Hari Raya was a profound experience for me. Thank you to Home Islanders for sharing it with me.