Lantaka
Encyclopedia
Lantaka is a type of bronze
cannon
mounted on merchant vessel
s travelling the waterways of Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial South East Asia especially in the Philippines
, Malaysia, and Indonesia
. The guns were used to defend against pirates demanding tribute for the local chief, or potentate
.
s and were known as swivel gun
s. The smaller ones could be mounted almost anywhere including in the rigging
. Medium sized cannon were frequently used in reinforced sockets on the vessel's rails and were sometimes referred to as rail guns. The heaviest swivel guns were mounted on modified gun carriages to make them more portable.
Typically the earliest cannon with beautiful ornamented from this region are from foundries in the Malacca and Pahang., with later model made from foundries in the Netherlands
and Portugal
, next from their respective settlements, and finally from Brunei
and other local craftsmen. However, there were also double-barreled variants that were used extensively in the Philippines
.
The local population was unimpressed with the might and power of the heavily armed trading vessels from the Dutch East India Company
and Portugal. De Barros describe that with the falls of Malacca, Albuquerque have captured 3,000 out of 8,000 artillery. Out of those, 2,000 are made from brass and the rest from iron. All the artillery is of excellent workmanship that it could not be excelled, even in Portugal. - Commentarios do grande Afonso de Albuqeurque;Lisbon, 1576,
The Dutch and Portuguese quickly learned that they could trade cannon not only for spices and porcelain
, but also for safe passage through pirate-infested waters. Local foundries continue to produce guns, using local patterns and designs from other local brass
and bronze objects. Stylized crocodiles, dolphins, birds and dragons were common motifs.
, fishermen or headhunters, the villagers who lived in the longhouses along Borneo's rivers lived in fear of being taken by pirates who used both vessel-mounted and hand-held cannons. Villages and tribesmen that were armed with mounted or handheld cannon had a distinct advantage over those who could only rely on bows and arrows, spear
s, blowgun
s and Kris
es (swords).
Land transportation in 17th and 18th century Java and Borneo was extremely difficult and cannons were fired for virtually all types of signaling. Whether they were fired in celebration
of a birth or wedding, or to warn another hilltop fortress or riverbank fishing village of impending attack, cannons were used to transmit messages telling of urgent or special events. Such events ranged from yellow fever
and cholera
epidemics to the start or finish of religious holidays such as Ramadan
.
Distinguished visitors were ushered into longhouses
with great ceremony, accompanied by the firing of the longhouse's cannon, much like today's twenty-one gun salute. These cannon were a display of the status and wealth of the extended family
that controlled the longhouse.
All worked copper
, brass and bronze had value and were used as trade items in early Borneo
. Cannon were frequently part of the bride price demanded by the family of an exceptionally desirable bride or the dowry
paid to the groom.
Many of the small cannon, often called personal cannon or hand cannon, had been received as honors and were kept and passed down in families, but in hard times they also served as a form of currency that could keep the family fed. As a recognized form of currency
, cannon could be traded for rice, drums, canoes, tools, weapons, livestock, debts of honor
, and even settlement of penalties for crimes ranging from the accidental death of a fellow villager to headhunting
against another tribe.
Large cannon had the extra value of being used in both celebratory times and in war
fare. The larger and/or more elaborate the cannon, the greater the trade value, and thus the greater the status of the owner.
Many of the finest cannon were given out by the Sultans of Brunei as part of ceremonies (such as birthdays or weddings) of the many princes and princesses of the extended Royal family. Cannon were frequently presented to guests along with awards and titles, and were meant to guarantee the recipients allegiance to the Sultan. Mortars, cannon and signal guns of all sizes were typically fired with colorful pyrotechnics
on these occasions; the louder and more elaborate, the greater the honor.
Panday Pira of Pampanga, Philippines was also known on forging heavy bronze Lantakas to be mounted on Lakan's(Naval Chief/Commander) ships called caracoas on Battle against the Spanish invaders and also, the cannons were commissioned by Rajah Sulayman on fortification of Maynila
.
began suppressing headhunting and piracy and Rajah James Brooke
(a wealthy Englishman who established the dynasty that ruled Sarawak
from 1841 until 1946) distributed out numerous Brunei cast hand cannon to guarantee the cooperation and allegiance of the local chiefs.
Lantakas were used by Moro soldiers in the Moro Rebellion
against U.S. troops in the Philippines. It was also used by the Filipinos during the Philippine Revolution-this time copied from European models and cast from church bells. One cannon founder was a Chinese Filipino named Jose Ignacio Pawa, also a Blacksmith.
Today these guns can be found on virtually all of the islands of the Pacific Rim
, but they are most commonly found in the Muslim areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. The largest collection is in Brunei, where it is now illegal to export them. Even in other countries, a museum export permit is usually required.
These cannon are now highly sought after by collectors, with some of the realized prices exceeding $50,000 USD for a single gun. The more common guns can be bought for under $1,000. Replicas and forgeries of lantakas are known to exist.
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
mounted on merchant vessel
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
s travelling the waterways of Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial South East Asia especially in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Malaysia, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The guns were used to defend against pirates demanding tribute for the local chief, or potentate
Potentate
Potentate is an informal term for a person with potent, usually supreme, power.-Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine:...
.
Description
Although most Lantaka weighed under two hundred pounds, and many only a few pounds, the largest ones exceeded a thousand pounds with some weighing over a ton. Many of these beautiful guns were mounted on swivelSwivel
A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a gun or chair, to rotate horizontally and/or vertically. A common design for a swivel is a cylindrical rod that can turn freely within a support structure. The rod is usually prevented from slipping out by a nut, washer or...
s and were known as swivel gun
Swivel gun
The term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
s. The smaller ones could be mounted almost anywhere including in the rigging
Rigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
. Medium sized cannon were frequently used in reinforced sockets on the vessel's rails and were sometimes referred to as rail guns. The heaviest swivel guns were mounted on modified gun carriages to make them more portable.
Typically the earliest cannon with beautiful ornamented from this region are from foundries in the Malacca and Pahang., with later model made from foundries in the Netherlands
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...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, next from their respective settlements, and finally from Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and other local craftsmen. However, there were also double-barreled variants that were used extensively in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The local population was unimpressed with the might and power of the heavily armed trading vessels from the Dutch East India Company
Dutch 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...
and Portugal. De Barros describe that with the falls of Malacca, Albuquerque have captured 3,000 out of 8,000 artillery. Out of those, 2,000 are made from brass and the rest from iron. All the artillery is of excellent workmanship that it could not be excelled, even in Portugal. - Commentarios do grande Afonso de Albuqeurque;Lisbon, 1576,
The Dutch and Portuguese quickly learned that they could trade cannon not only for spices and porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, but also for safe passage through pirate-infested waters. Local foundries continue to produce guns, using local patterns and designs from other local brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
and bronze objects. Stylized crocodiles, dolphins, birds and dragons were common motifs.
Local reaction
If a native vessel was unarmed, it was usually regarded by the local populace as improperly equipped and poorly decorated. Whether farmersSubsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
, fishermen or headhunters, the villagers who lived in the longhouses along Borneo's rivers lived in fear of being taken by pirates who used both vessel-mounted and hand-held cannons. Villages and tribesmen that were armed with mounted or handheld cannon had a distinct advantage over those who could only rely on bows and arrows, spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s, blowgun
Blowgun
"Blowpipe" and "blow tube" redirect here. For other uses of the terms, see GlassblowingA blowgun is a simple weapon consisting of a small tube for firing light projectiles, or darts....
s and Kris
Kris
The kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have...
es (swords).
Land transportation in 17th and 18th century Java and Borneo was extremely difficult and cannons were fired for virtually all types of signaling. Whether they were fired in celebration
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
of a birth or wedding, or to warn another hilltop fortress or riverbank fishing village of impending attack, cannons were used to transmit messages telling of urgent or special events. Such events ranged from yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
and cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemics to the start or finish of religious holidays such as Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
.
Distinguished visitors were ushered into longhouses
Long house
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America....
with great ceremony, accompanied by the firing of the longhouse's cannon, much like today's twenty-one gun salute. These cannon were a display of the status and wealth of the extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
that controlled the longhouse.
All worked copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, brass and bronze had value and were used as trade items in early Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. Cannon were frequently part of the bride price demanded by the family of an exceptionally desirable bride or the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
paid to the groom.
Many of the small cannon, often called personal cannon or hand cannon, had been received as honors and were kept and passed down in families, but in hard times they also served as a form of currency that could keep the family fed. As a recognized form of currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
, cannon could be traded for rice, drums, canoes, tools, weapons, livestock, debts of honor
Debt of Honor
Debt of Honor is a novel by Tom Clancy. It is a continuation of the series featuring his character Jack Ryan. In this installment, Ryan has become the National Security Advisor when the Japanese government goes to war with the United States...
, and even settlement of penalties for crimes ranging from the accidental death of a fellow villager to headhunting
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
against another tribe.
Large cannon had the extra value of being used in both celebratory times and in war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
fare. The larger and/or more elaborate the cannon, the greater the trade value, and thus the greater the status of the owner.
Many of the finest cannon were given out by the Sultans of Brunei as part of ceremonies (such as birthdays or weddings) of the many princes and princesses of the extended Royal family. Cannon were frequently presented to guests along with awards and titles, and were meant to guarantee the recipients allegiance to the Sultan. Mortars, cannon and signal guns of all sizes were typically fired with colorful pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
on these occasions; the louder and more elaborate, the greater the honor.
Panday Pira of Pampanga, Philippines was also known on forging heavy bronze Lantakas to be mounted on Lakan's(Naval Chief/Commander) ships called caracoas on Battle against the Spanish invaders and also, the cannons were commissioned by Rajah Sulayman on fortification of Maynila
Kingdom of Maynila
The Kingdom of Seludong , or Maynila, which after colonization became Manila, capital of the Philippines, was one of three major city-states that dominated the area around the upper portion of the Pasig River before the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century.The early inhabitants of the...
.
Modern era
In the 1840s, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
began suppressing headhunting and piracy and Rajah James Brooke
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
(a wealthy Englishman who established the dynasty that ruled Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
from 1841 until 1946) distributed out numerous Brunei cast hand cannon to guarantee the cooperation and allegiance of the local chiefs.
Lantakas were used by Moro soldiers in the Moro Rebellion
Moro Rebellion
The Moro Rebellion was an armed military conflict between Moro revolutionary groups in the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan and the United States military which took place in the Philippines as early as between 1899 to 1913, following the Spanish-American War in 1898...
against U.S. troops in the Philippines. It was also used by the Filipinos during the Philippine Revolution-this time copied from European models and cast from church bells. One cannon founder was a Chinese Filipino named Jose Ignacio Pawa, also a Blacksmith.
Today these guns can be found on virtually all of the islands of the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
, but they are most commonly found in the Muslim areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. The largest collection is in Brunei, where it is now illegal to export them. Even in other countries, a museum export permit is usually required.
These cannon are now highly sought after by collectors, with some of the realized prices exceeding $50,000 USD for a single gun. The more common guns can be bought for under $1,000. Replicas and forgeries of lantakas are known to exist.
External links
- The Sea Research Society has a collection of over sixty of these guns, most dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
- SharpBlades.net. Near the bottom of the page you'll find a picture and a short description of the Lantaka.
- The Temple of Proportions, an online cultural center, has three more pictures of a gorgeous Lantaka.