Sampan panjang

Last updated
A three-masted sampan panjang from about 1880, from a model in the Raffles Museum collection. Three-masted Sampan Panjang 1880.png
A three-masted sampan panjang from about 1880, from a model in the Raffles Museum collection.

Sampan panjang was a type of Malay fast boat from the 19th century. It was used especially by the sampan-men, or "Orang Laut" (lit. "sea people"). Historically, they can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. This type of boat was used by Malay people as racing boat and as transport boat. The sampan panjang appeared at the first quarter of the 19th century, and disappeared at the turn of that century. These boats proved to be superior than European boats in racing purposes; they were easy winners when racing against the European yachts of that time. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The name sampan panjang comes from the Malay words sampan, meaning boat, and panjang, meaning long; thus, the name means "long boat". The term sampan might be derived from Chinese sam-pan or san-pan, [2] or conversely the Chinese term might be derived from Malay or another Austronesian language. [3] It is also called perahu panjang, since the words sampan and perahu in Malay language are synonymous. [1]

History

A Malay perahu near Singapore. Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan (1857) (14598056997).jpg
A Malay perahu near Singapore.

The first record of sampan panjangs comes from Singapore Chronicle for Thursday, 15 May 1834. It describes a rowing match between 4 Malay sampans and boats from three vessels lying in the roads, which as usual was won easily by the Malays. [4]

A book by G. W. Earl from 1837 provides an early description of the sampan panjang. At that time the boat was 30 ft (9 m) long and 4 ft (1.2 m) wide. It had two masts with large lateens, loose-footed dipping lugsails. It was steered using a long, diamond-shaped paddle, which could also be used to increase speed. It carried five crewmen. [5]

Some years later the Sultan of Lingga acquired a fine sailing sampan panjang, ordered from Trengganu, which had a long and most successful racing career. In 1839 he challenged the fastest of the European yachts in the settlement to a race for $500 a side. The challenge was accepted by the owner of the Maggie Lauder, a well-known boat in her day. They followed the New Years Day regatta course, which then covered about 14 miles, and the Malay boat came in with the Maggie still seven miles from the finishing line.

A passenger sampan panjang from about 1860: Drawn from a boat shown in Gray's engraving of the Singapore waterfront, which dated from 1861. Passenger Sampan Panjang 1860.png
A passenger sampan panjang from about 1860: Drawn from a boat shown in Gray's engraving of the Singapore waterfront, which dated from 1861.

Dr. Berncastle in 1850 describes the sampan panjang as very light boats and was elegant in shape. He notes that the sampans were propelled by paddles or lateen sails made of mats. The latter also appear in Gray's engraving of the Singapore water front, and would seem to have been in fairly general use from this period onwards, if not earlier. [6]

Development of the sampan panjang continued during the third quarter of the century. The lines became finer, the hull rather longer, and a bowsprit was added to set a headsail: a light rudder was also introduced in this period, and occasionally passenger boats were built with "counter" type stern or narrow transom.

The sampan panjang started to decline after the first wharf of Tanjong Pagar came into operation in 1866. The opening of the Suez canal made many steamers flood the area of the sampan panjang, which resulted in the decrease of their number.

Mitman (1923: p. 258) writes rather condescendingly of the maker of sampan panjang: [7]

These boats are perhaps among the most remarkable examples of the wave-line form in the world; their midship section closely resembles that of modern yachts. It is little less than marvelous that the semicivilized builders of these craft should have arrived so near perfection in designing by "rule-of-thumb" methods.

Mitman, Catalogue of the watercraft collection in the U.S. National Museum
The pleasure boat of the rajah of Johore, 1851. Pleasure-Boat of the Rajah of Johore (engraving).jpg
The pleasure boat of the rajah of Johore, 1851.

By the last quarter of the century it was being made with hull lengths of 40 ft. (12.2 m) and over, and some example had 3 masts. Such boats were expensive to build and maintain. They required crews, with some experience, of 20–25 men for racing purposes, but the hull and yards were beyond the means of a Malay kampong which alone could have produced the men on an amateur basis. They were, in fact, suitable only for local magnates, and then all that could be done with one was to race against another sampan panjang. The size of the crew required to man them, the ease with which they shipped water and the lack of finish inside the hull, made them useless for cruising purposes. [8]

By the middle 1880s there were probably less than ten serviceable racing hulls afloat. In 1885 only two were entered for their class in the annual New Years Day regatta compared to 37 of the previous twenty year. According to Buckley, by 1902, only four were still in commission in Johnston's pier, and even these did not last until the beginning of the first world war. By this time the racing sampan itself had also been outmoded, and its place taken by the lighter kolek Johore, which as the Johore racing kolek remains the most prominent feature of all local regattas. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampan</span> Form of boat from Southeast Asia

A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like the scow or punt. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers and are often used as traditional fishing boats. It is unusual for a sampan to sail far from land, as they do not have the means to survive rough weather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay Singaporeans</span> Ethnic group of Singapore

Malay Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Malay ancestry, including those from the Malay Archipelago. They constitute approximately 13.5% of the country's citizens, making them the second largest ethnic group in Singapore. Under the Constitution of Singapore, they are recognised by the government as the indigenous people of the country, with Malay as the national language of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orang Laut</span> Ethnic group of Southeast Asia

The Orang Laut are several seafaring ethnic groups and tribes living around Singapore, peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian Riau Islands. The Orang Laut are commonly identified as the Orang Seletar from the Straits of Johor, but the term may also refer to any Malayic-speaking people living on coastal islands, including those of Mergui Archipelago islands of Myanmar and Thailand, commonly known as Moken.

A kolae boat is a traditional fishing boat used in the lower southern provinces of Thailand and eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinisi</span> Type of rigging of Indonesian sailing vessels

Literally, the word pinisi refers to a type of rigging of Indonesian sailing vessels. A pinisi carries seven to eight sails on two masts, arranged like a gaff-ketch with what is called 'standing gaffs' — i.e., unlike most Western ships using such a rig, the two main sails are not opened by raising the spars they are attached to, but the sails are 'pulled out' like curtains along the gaffs which are fixed at around the centre of the masts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraw</span> Sail boat type (Philippines)

Paraw are various double outrigger sail boats in the Philippines. It is a general term and thus can refer to a range of ship types, from small fishing canoes to large merchant lashed-lug plank boats with two outriggers (katig) propelled by sails

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tongkang</span> Type of small boat in Southeast Asia

Tongkang or "Tong'kang" refers to several type of boats used to carry goods along rivers and shoreline in Maritime Southeast Asia. One of the earliest record of tongkang has a background of 14th century, being mentioned in Malay Annals which was composed no earlier than 17th century. One passage mentioned it as being used by Majapahit empire during the 1350 attack on Singapura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orang Seletar</span> Indigenous ethnic group in Malaysia and Singapore

Orang Seletar are one of the 18 Orang Asli ethnic groups in Malaysia. They are classified under the Proto-Malay people group, which forms the three major people group of the Orang Asli. The Orang Seletar are also considered as part of the Orang Laut, natives of the Straits of Johor; separating Singapore from Peninsula Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padewakang</span>

Padewakangs were traditional boats used by the Bugis, Mandar, and Makassar people of South Sulawesi. Padewakangs were used for long-distance voyages serving the south Sulawesi kingdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayang (boat)</span> Type of fishing boat from Java, Indonesia

Perahu Mayang or simply mayang is a type of fishing boat from Java, Indonesia. This type of boat is used mainly for fishing and trading. Historically, this indigenous vessel is also favored by European skippers and private merchants for trading in East Indies: 50% of them were using mayang and pencalang. It is mostly used in northern coast of Java. The major production site is in Rembang, Central Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golekan</span> Type of traditional boat from Madura, Indonesia

Golekan is a type of traditional boat from Madura, Indonesia. They once plied as far as Singapore, where they are referred to as Madurese traders. In the present this type of boat is only known locally, especially near Bangkalan in Western Madura and around the Kangean islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palari (boat)</span> Type of Indonesian sailing vessel from South Sulawesi

Palari is a type of Indonesian sailing vessel from South Sulawesi. It was mainly used by the people of Ara and Lemo Lemo, for transporting goods and people. This vessel is rigged with pinisi rig, which often makes it better known as "Pinisi" instead of its name. In Singapore, palari is known as "Makassartrader".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jongkong</span> Dugout canoe from Indonesia

A jongkong is a type of dugout canoe from Maritime Southeast Asia. Jongkong was the simplest boat from Riau-Lingga area, and can be found widely though in small numbers throughout the area. The first record of jongkong comes from the Malay Annals, being used by Majapahit empire during the first Majapahit attack on Singapura (1350) and during the fall of Singapura (1398).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perahu payang</span>

Perahu payang or simply payang is a traditional Malay open fishing boat. They are usually found in Terengganu, and to a lesser extent, Kelantan, Pahang, and Johor coasts. A few examples normally come down to Singapore to operate during the period of the north-east monsoon in the South China Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jukung tambangan</span>

Jukung tambangan is a traditional boat made by the Banjar people of South Kalimantan. They are mainly used for riverine transportation. It is already present at least since mid-18th century. They were not seen anymore in Banjarmasin ca. 1950s and around the 1970s on the Nagara River, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancang (ship)</span>

A lancang is a type of sailing ship from Maritime Southeast Asia. It is used as warship, lighter, and as royal ship, particularly used by the people of Sumatran east coast, but can also be found in the coast of Kalimantan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bajak</span>

Bajak is a type of sailing prahu of the Dayak people of Borneo. It is propelled by both sail and oars. The bajak has a sharp but hollow bow, with projection at top. It has large square stern which projects at the sides of the hull and supported by two strong beams. On the side of the vessel are projecting open galleries for oarsmen. Bajak has two mast with lug rig, and a bowsprit which support headsails. The sail of bajak is made of cotton. It has a large deckhouse between the foremast and mainmast, a hatchway is present abaft the mainmast. The name may have originated from Malay word bajak means "plow", or membajak, "to plow". This prahu may have been used by Sea Dayak for use in piracy owing to its double type of propulsion which is very common amongst pirate prahu of the region, and may have influenced the Javanese word bajak, which means hijack or piracy. Javanese word bajak laut means sea pirate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banting (boat)</span>

Banting is a traditional boat from Aceh, Indonesia. It is also used in other areas near Malacca strait, such as Johor, where they are called "fast boat". Eredia's account of Malacca (1613) described banting of Ujontana as a kind of skiff, smaller than jalea, carrying oars and 2 masts, with 2 rudders, and used for naval warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austronesian vessels</span> Sailing vessels of Austronesian peoples

Austronesian vessels are the traditional seafaring vessels of the Austronesian peoples of Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar. They also include indigenous ethnic minorities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Hainan, the Comoros, and the Torres Strait Islands.

References

  1. 1 2 Gibson-Hill, C.A. (July 1969). "The Orang Laut of Singapore River and the Sampan Panjang". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 42: 118–132 via JSTOR.
  2. Worcester, G. R. G. (1948). The Junks and Sampans of the Yangtze: The craft of the Lower and Middle Yangtze and tributaries Vol. 2. Shanghai: Statistical department of the Inspectorate General of Customs.
  3. Manguin, Pierre-Yves (2012). "Asian ship-building traditions in the Indian Ocean at the dawn of European expansion". In Prakash, Om; Chattopadhyaya, D. P. (eds.). History of science, philosophy, and culture in Indian Civilization. Vol. III, part 7: The trading world of the Indian Ocean, 1500–1800. Delhi, Chennai, Chandigarh: Pearson. pp. 597–629.
  4. Singapore Chronicle for Thursday, 15 May 1834
  5. Earl, G. W. 1837. The Eastern Seas, xii + 461 pp., Wm. H. Allen, London.
  6. Berncastle, Dr. 1850. A voyage to China. 2 vols, Shobert, London.
  7. Mitman, Carl W. (1923). "Catalogue of the Watercraft Collection in the United States National Museum". Bulletin. 127: 1–298.
  8. Mitman, C. W. 1923. Catalogue of the watercraft collection in the U.S. National Museum. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 127, 298 pp.
  9. Buckley, C. B. (1902). An anecdotal history of old time in Singapore. Singapore: Fraser & Neave.