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by Raymond Kwok

Long before the days of bob and permanent wave the Nyonyas sported waist length tresses. Except when she washed her hair and nights when she let her hair down before going to bed she was always seen immaculately dressed with her chignon or sangoay well combed 

The chignon of the Nyonya suggests a cross between the Burmese and Javanese hair styles. The coiled bun or sanggul nyonya rests on top of the head unlike the Malay style which wears the bun behind the head.. The bun is often decorated with a string of white jasmine as in traditional Burmese practice. The bulky sanggul is held in place by several hair pins called ch'iam-mah which are graduated in length. The longest, measuring about 5 inches, is the first to be inserted, right in the centre and aligned directly above the nose. Penang Nyonyas prefer 5 or more hair pins each stuck in a clock-wise direction. They are impressive ornaments made of silver or gold alloy called suasa; some are studded with pearl, gem stone, diamonds or rose cut diamonds called suan puay on the crown and shaft

The sanggul nyonya is known by different names: sanggul aeroplane, or aeroplane chignon, even sanggul siput. The younger lady, with buns on either side of the head, was described as wearing sanggul telephone or telephone chignon