An Indian rubber tapper

Title
An Indian rubber tapper
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Singapore/Malaysia
Dimension
Image size: L13.4cm X W8.5cm
Accession No.
1991-00441

In Malaysia, many South Indians found work as a rubber tapper on the estates during the rubber boom of the early 20th century. An indentured system tied the labourers to a three-year contract before the 'kangany' system took over in 1910, where the Indian estate foreman employed workers and their families from his own village. Similarly, Indian immigrants in Singapore worked on rubber estates, or as labourers among other jobs.