Wak Sumang and the Rumbia Tree (A Collaboration with Malay Heritage Centre)

New Tales from the Nusantara: Wak Sumang and the Rumbia Tree
(A Collaboration with Malay Heritage Centre)

Join storyteller Hafiz Rashid on a storytelling adventure at the Centre for Ethnobotany! Discover the story of Wak Sumang, a skilled musician from the city of Daik in the Lingga Archipelago. Follow along his journey from helping the Sultan in warfare to sailing to mainland Singapore, where he came across a rumbia tree at present-day Punggol. What happens next would change the fate of the area forever!

Next. go on a guided tour of the Centre of Ethnobotany and learn about plants native to the region and how they are used in food and textiles. Then, board a chartered bus to the Malay Heritage Centre, where we will visit the Permanent Galleries, uncovering links between nature and traditional craftmanship. The session concludes with a hands-on exploration of how nature inspires art and design. Using ready-made hand-carved stamps, we will find out more about common motifs and stamp on our own take-home piece!


This programme is conducted in English and organised in collaboration with the Malay Heritage Centre. 

Suitable for children in K1 – P4 (Family Programme: Parent Accompanied)
Date:                    Wednesday, 25 November 2026
Time:                  10am – 12.30pm
Fee:                      $40 per parent & child pair, $20 per additional child 
Location:              Centre for Ethnobotany (Singapore Botanic Gardens) and Malay Heritage Centre*


*The programme will begin at the Centre for Ethnobotany in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and end at the Malay Heritage Centre (Kampong Gelam). One-way transport for participants is included as part of this programme.


 
Click here to register: https://go.gov.sg/waksumang