About Wan and his journal on Pulau Ubin
Remembering my roots.
Hello! My name is Nor Syazwan bin Abdul Majid and I was born on mainland Singapore in 1996; the fourth and last child to Noor Riah binti Sulong and Abdul Majid bin Shahab — and I'm a descendant of an Orang Pulau through my mom's side.
What initially began as a personal blog to document my roots and family heritage on July 21st, 2018, "Wan's Ubin Journal" (WUJ) eventually grew into a social platform that advocates for the preservation and celebration of the culture and heritage of the Orang Pulau community on Pulau Ubin that it is today.
As a descendant of an Orang Pulau, I hope to reclaim the original narrative of Pulau Ubin: that it is not just a forested recreational getaway filled with wild boars, monkeys and trees — but home to hundreds of the indigenous Orang Pulau of Singapore, and through WUJ that our stories are kept alive and immortalised.
I'm currently a full-time undergraduate student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work with Minor in Sociology.
My grandparents' house,
818K Kampung Surau, Pulau Ubin.
A tribute to my mom
The reason behind Wan's Ubin Journal
This is my mom, Noor Riah binti Sulong.
While she was born on Pulau Tekong Besar in 1959, she would spend the first half of her life growing up on Pulau Ubin until the late 1980s. Known to the islanders as "Net", the eighth of twelve children to Sulong bin Yunos (Pak Awang Minyak) and Jariah binti Salim would spend her days on the island fishing with her siblings, tending to her father's sirih plantation and foraging with her mother, among many things.
Her pride as an Orang Pulau is unmistakable. Even as her three children were raised in the metropolitan mainland, they would be reminded of their islander roots and heritage through her stories, memories and actions. My love for Pulau Ubin would not have existed if it were not for her, and so WUJ is my tribute to the most kindest and beautiful woman in my life.
Mentions
Thank you for sharing our stories and amplifying our voices! You can find the various times WUJ has been mentioned and featured in the press or on the media here.