Lamey Island Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Lamey Island Massacre was the slaughter of aboriginal inhabitants of Hsiao Liuchiu island (then known as Lamey, Lamay or Gouden Leeuwseylant) off the coast of Taiwan
by Dutch
soldiers in 1636. The killings were part of a campaign in retaliation for the murder of shipwrecked Dutch sailors in two separate incidents in 1622 and 1631 by natives of the island.
established a presence on Taiwan
in 1624, a Dutch ship named the Golden Lion (Early Modern Dutch
: Gouden Leeuw) was wrecked on the coral reefs of Hsiao Liuchiu, then known to the Dutch as Lamey or Lamay island. The entire crew was killed by the native inhabitants.
Subsequently in 1631 a yacht named the Beverwijck was also wrecked on the treacherous reefs, with survivors (numbering around fifty) battling the Lameyans for two days before being overwhelmed and slaughtered to a man.
Following the murder of the Gouden Leeuw survivors, the island was sometimes referred to by the Dutch as Gouden Leeuwseylant (Golden Lion Island). There was a desire at the very highest levels of the Dutch East India Company not to let the killings go unpunished, with Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
Hendrik Brouwer
ordering Governor of Formosa
Hans Putmans
to "punish and exterminate the people of [...] the Golden Lion Island as an example for their murderous actions committed against our people."
assist them in punishing the islanders. The first expedition arrived in 1633, led by Claes Bruijn and consisting of 250 Dutch soldiers, forty Han Chinese
pirates and 250 Aboriginal Formosans
. It met with little success, but they did manage to find evidence of the murdered crew of the Beverwijck, including coins, copper from the ship's galley and a Dutch hat. They also learned that a large cave on the island was used by the natives as a refuge in times of trouble.
In 1636 a larger expedition under Jan Jurriansz van Lingga landed on the island, this time chasing the Lameyans into the cave. The Dutch and their allies proceeded to block up all the entrances, leaving small holes where pans of burning pitch and sulphur were placed. Some of the trapped Lameyans managed to crawl out of the holes, where they were captured by the Dutch force. On May 4, after the poisonous fumes had been constantly produced for eight days (during which the cries of those inside could be clearly heard), the cave grew still and the entrances were unblocked. When soldiers entered to investigate, they found the corpses of around 300 men, women and children who had been suffocated by the fumes.
. The women and children were put up in the homes of Dutch people in Taiwan as servants; some later became wives for Dutch men.
There were numerous other raids following this expedition until the island was finally completely depopulated in 1645 when a Chinese merchant who had rented rights to the island from the Dutch East India Company removed the last thirteen inhabitants.
This account is almost completely false from start to finish, as noted by several writers.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
soldiers in 1636. The killings were part of a campaign in retaliation for the murder of shipwrecked Dutch sailors in two separate incidents in 1622 and 1631 by natives of the island.
Background
Two years before the Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
established a presence on Taiwan
Taiwan under Dutch rule
Dutch Formosa refers to the period of colonial Dutch government on Formosa , lasting from 1624 to 1662. In the context of the Age of Discovery the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Taiwan to trade with China and Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and...
in 1624, a Dutch ship named the Golden Lion (Early Modern Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Gouden Leeuw) was wrecked on the coral reefs of Hsiao Liuchiu, then known to the Dutch as Lamey or Lamay island. The entire crew was killed by the native inhabitants.
Subsequently in 1631 a yacht named the Beverwijck was also wrecked on the treacherous reefs, with survivors (numbering around fifty) battling the Lameyans for two days before being overwhelmed and slaughtered to a man.
Following the murder of the Gouden Leeuw survivors, the island was sometimes referred to by the Dutch as Gouden Leeuwseylant (Golden Lion Island). There was a desire at the very highest levels of the Dutch East India Company not to let the killings go unpunished, with Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies represented the Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949.The first Governors-General were appointed by the Dutch East India Company...
Hendrik Brouwer
Hendrik Brouwer
Hendrik Brouwer was a Dutch explorer, admiral, and colonial administrator both in Japan and the Dutch East Indies....
ordering Governor of Formosa
Governor of Formosa
The Governor of Formosa was the head of government during the Dutch colonial period in Taiwan, which lasted from 1624 to 1662. Appointed by the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia , the Governor of Formosa was empowered to legislate, collect taxes, wage war and declare peace on...
Hans Putmans
Hans Putmans
Hans Putmans was a Dutch explorer.-History:Born in Middelburg, he was the fourth governor of Formosa, which later became known as Taiwan, from 1629–1636, and was based in the southern port of Tainan. While governor, Putmans was defeated at the Battle of Liaoluo Bay on October 22, 1633, by the Ming...
to "punish and exterminate the people of [...] the Golden Lion Island as an example for their murderous actions committed against our people."
Punitive expedition campaigns
Putmans was determined to assault Lamey as soon as possible, at one stage requesting that the warriors of MattauMadou
Madou is a town of about 50,000 residents in Tainan, Taiwan. It owes its name to the Siraya aboriginal word Moatau or "Mattou". Madou was formerly one of the core Siraya villages during much of Taiwan's colonial history and figured heavily in the formation of colonial policy on Taiwan...
assist them in punishing the islanders. The first expedition arrived in 1633, led by Claes Bruijn and consisting of 250 Dutch soldiers, forty Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
pirates and 250 Aboriginal Formosans
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
. It met with little success, but they did manage to find evidence of the murdered crew of the Beverwijck, including coins, copper from the ship's galley and a Dutch hat. They also learned that a large cave on the island was used by the natives as a refuge in times of trouble.
In 1636 a larger expedition under Jan Jurriansz van Lingga landed on the island, this time chasing the Lameyans into the cave. The Dutch and their allies proceeded to block up all the entrances, leaving small holes where pans of burning pitch and sulphur were placed. Some of the trapped Lameyans managed to crawl out of the holes, where they were captured by the Dutch force. On May 4, after the poisonous fumes had been constantly produced for eight days (during which the cries of those inside could be clearly heard), the cave grew still and the entrances were unblocked. When soldiers entered to investigate, they found the corpses of around 300 men, women and children who had been suffocated by the fumes.
Aftermath
The captured men of the island were put to work as slaves in both Taiwan and BataviaJakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. The women and children were put up in the homes of Dutch people in Taiwan as servants; some later became wives for Dutch men.
There were numerous other raids following this expedition until the island was finally completely depopulated in 1645 when a Chinese merchant who had rented rights to the island from the Dutch East India Company removed the last thirteen inhabitants.
Alternate stories
There have been a number of erroneous accounts of the incident, the most obvious of which is the plaque outside the cave where the massacre occurred.This account is almost completely false from start to finish, as noted by several writers.