Lela (cannon)
Lela or lila is a type of
Etymology
The cannon was named after a heroine of the Malay classic romance story called "Laila Majnun".[3]: 93 It seems that the adoption of the word stems from the name given to some particular piece. The customs of naming special cannon was not uncommon in Europe in the early days and also in Nusantara to the recent times.[4] On Malay literature the name is usually coupled with rentaka, as "lela rentaka".[1]: 156, 177, 210–212 It is also called as lilla by the Dutch and lelo in several parts of the archipelago.[5]
Description
Usually lela are about 100–180 cm (39–71 in) long and made from
Lela always had a tube cast in the back, in which a wooden handle or tiller would be fitted. This tiller is used for aiming the gun.[3]: 93 Lela has forked pivot mount (called cagak, cangkak lela, or rangking) with spike underneath to fit it on a ship's rail or the edge of a stockade.[9][3]: 95 For land use they are commonly placed on corners of a fort or stockade, so they could cover alternately two different walls.[3]: 95 Often, they have dolphins (metal lugs on top to lift the cannon) but they may be purely ornamental, as they can be picked up without hoisting it with ropes.[3]: 93 Compared to European falconet with its history dating back to the 1500s, lela was shorter in range and lighter in weight but excels in ornamentation and design.[7]: 11
Lela also refer to medium to large size Malay cannon. According to Isabella L. Bird, lelah is long and heavy gun made from brass, used for the defense of the stockades behind which the Malays usually fight (apilan and kota mara, or the Malay kubu fortification).[10]: 32 They can reach as far as 1000 yards (914 m), and fire 4 pound (1.8 kg) shot.[8]: 209 [11]
History
The origin of
Earliest lela, just like lantaka, were
De Barros mentions that with
Wan Mohd Dasuki Wan Hasbullah explained several facts about the existence of gunpowder weapons in Malacca and other Malay states before the arrival of the Portuguese:[24]: 97–98
- No evidence showed that guns, cannons, and gunpowder are made in Malay states.
- No evidence showed that guns were ever used by the Malacca Sultanate before the Portuguese attack, even from Malay sources themselves.
- Based on the majority of cannons reported by the Portuguese, the Malays preferred small artillery.
The cannons found in Malacca were of various types: esmeril (1/4 to 1/2-pounder
: 22
Despite having a lot of artillery and firearms, the weapons of Malacca were mostly and mainly purchased from the Javanese and Gujarati, where the Javanese and Gujarati were the operators of the weapons. In the early 16th century, before the Portuguese arrival, the Malays were a people who lacked firearms. The Malay chronicle,
Setelah datang ke Melaka, maka bertemu, ditembaknya dengan meriam. Maka segala orang Melaka pun hairan, terkejut mendengar bunyi meriam itu. Katanya, "Bunyi apa ini, seperti guruh ini?". Maka meriam itu pun datanglah mengenai orang Melaka, ada yang putus lehernya, ada yang putus tangannya, ada yang panggal pahanya. Maka bertambahlah hairannya orang Melaka melihat fi'il bedil itu. Katanya: "Apa namanya senjata yang bulat itu maka dengan tajamnya maka ia membunuh?"
After (the Portuguese) coming to Malacca, then met (each other), they shot (the city) with cannon. So all the people of Malacca were surprised, shocked to hear the sound of the cannon. They said, "What is this sound, like thunder?". Then the cannon came about the people of Malacca, some lost their necks, some lost their arms, some lost their thighs. The people of Malacca were even more astonished to see the effect of the gun. They said: "What is this weapon called that is round, yet is sharp enough to kill?" [27]: 254–255 [14]: 219
Lendas da India by
In 1600 CE, lela cannons are becoming more common in the archipelago. Several renowned foundries of the region are Terengganu in Malay peninsula, Gresik in Java, and Minangkabau lands of interior Sumatra,[32] at Brunei and Banjarmasin in Borneo, Sulu in Southern Philippines, Makassar in Sulawesi, and Aceh.[4]
Lela is also used in Banjarese fortified raft called kotta mara. The kotta mara can be used as floating battery or as water castle. Rectangular kotta mara can be equipped with 12 lela,[33]: 45 while the kotta mara with corner bastions could mount 16 lela.[34]: 61
Lela is mounted on the apilan (gunshield) of Malay war and piratical prahu. Sunting apilan is the name given to two lelas or light guns standing on the gun-shield of a heavy gun.[35]
Lieutenant T.J. Newbold recorded about the Malay pirate prahu:[36]
The prahus used by Malay pirates are from eight to ten tons burthen, extremely well manned and remarkably fast, particularly with the paddles commonly used. They are generally armed with swivels on their bows, centre, and stern, of small calibre, but long range. When preparing to attack, strong bulwarks of wood called Apilans are erected, behind which the crew ensconce themselves, fighting with their long guns until their prey is disabled; or till the gong sound the signal for boarding.
— Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 5
Brunei was known for its foundries in the 19th century. Brass (
: 17Bangsamoro (Muslim) of Philippines were still using rentaka and lela during the Philippine–American War of 1899–1902. Rentaka and lela was brought by Malay from Peninsular and Borneo Malay to Southern Philippine. Bangsamoro have then retained the most of the adopted Malay culture relative to the rest of the Philippines.[16]
Gallery
-
A 1.5-pounder (0.68 kg) lilla. 176.5 cm long, 5.5 cm in caliber.
-
Lela with Arabic inscription, which reads "Peace be upon him in the hijri year 1267", referring to the founding year (1850–1851 CE). Length: 164 cm, caliber: 37 mm.
-
Western-styled lilla (draaibas) from Lombok, captured from Lombok in 1894. 128 cm long with 41 mm caliber.
-
Blunderbuss lela, 115 cm long. The diameter of the flared muzzle is 8.4 cm.
-
Lela captured by paddle steamer Amsterdam near Tanjung Pulisan on the northeast coast of Celebes from pirates. 119 cm long, 16 mm caliber. Weight: 30.6 kg.
-
Bronze muzzle-loading lela, reinforced with 2 pieces of bamboo and fastened with rattan. 144 cm long, 36 mm in caliber. Weight: 70 kg.
See also
- Cetbang, earlier, 14th century cannon
- Rentaka, smaller version of lela
- Ekor lotong, swivel gun with monkey tail shape
- Apilan and kota mara, structure on Malay ships used for mounting cannon
Note
- ^ Maka kata Laksamana, "Adapun hamba sekalian datang ini dititahkan oleh Sultan Melaka membawa surat dan bingkisan tanda berkasih-kasihan antara Sultan Melaka dan duli Sultan Rum, serta hendak membeli bedil dan meriam yang besar-besar. Adalah kekurangan sedikit bedil yang besar-besar di dalam negeri Melaka itu. Adapun hamba lihat tanah di atas angin ini terlalu banyak bedil yang besar-besar.”. Translation: Then the Admiral said, "As for our reason for coming here, we were ordered by the Sultan of Melaka to bring a letter and a gift of sympathy between the Sultan of Melaka and the Sultan of Rum, as well as to buy large guns and cannons. There is a shortage of large guns in the state of Melaka. While I see that the land above the wind has too many big guns."
References
- ^ a b c Ismail, Norain B.T. (2012). Peperangan dalam Historiografi Johor: Kajian Terhadap Tuhfat Al-Nafis. Kuala Lumpur: Akademi Pengajian Islam Universiti Malaya.
- ^ ISBN 9789047406921.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gardner, G. B. (1936). Keris and Other Malay Weapons. Singapore: Progressive Publishing Company.
- ^ a b Gibson-Hill, C. A. (July 1953). "Notes on the old Cannon found in Malaya, and known to be of Dutch origin". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 26: 145–174 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Romadhoni, Anggi (9 May 2018). "Meriam Lelo di Kampar Meledak Karena Pecah, Seorang Tewas dan 4 lainnya luka". riau.antaranews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
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- ^ a b c d Teoh, Alex Eng Kean (2005). The Might of the Miniature Cannon A treasure of Borneo and the Malay Archipelago. Asean Heritage.
- ^ a b c d Newbold, Thomas John (1839). Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca volume 2. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Cannons of the Malay Archipelago". www.acant.org.au. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ Bird, Isabella Lucy (1883). The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- ^ Murfett, Malcolm H. (2011). Between 2 Oceans (2nd Edn): A Military History of Singapore from 1275 to 1971. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd.
- ^ Schlegel, Gustaaf (1902). "On the Invention and Use of Fire-Arms and Gunpowder in China, Prior to the Arrival of European". T'oung Pao. 3: 1–11.
- ^ Lombard, Denys (1990). Le carrefour javanais. Essai d'histoire globale (The Javanese Crossroads: Towards a Global History) Vol. 2. Paris: Editions de l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. Page 178.
- ^ a b c Reid, Anthony (1993). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680. Volume Two: Expansion and Crisis. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
- ^ Averoes, Muhammad (2020). Antara Cerita dan Sejarah: Meriam Cetbang Majapahit. Jurnal Sejarah, 3(2), 89 - 100.
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- ^ a b Crawfurd, John (1856). A Descriptive Dictionary of the Indian Islands and Adjacent Countries. Bradbury and Evans.
- ^ a b Birch, Walter de Gray (1875). The Commentaries of the Great Afonso Dalboquerque, Second Viceroy of India, translated from the Portuguese edition of 1774 volume 3. London: The Hakluyt Society.
- ^ a b Charney, Michael (2012). Iberians and Southeast Asians at War: the Violent First Encounter at Melaka in 1511 and After. In Waffen Wissen Wandel: Anpassung und Lernen in transkulturellen Erstkonflikten. Hamburger Edition.
- ^ a b Reid, Anthony (1989). The Organization of Production in the Pre-Colonial Southeast Asian Port City. In Broeze, Frank (Ed.), Brides of the Sea: Asian Port Cities in the Colonial Era (pp. 54–74). University of Hawaii Press.
- ^ Furnivall, J. S. (2010). Netherlands India: A Study of Plural Economy. Cambridge University Press. p. 9
- ^ Hasbullah, Wan Mohd Dasuki Wan (2020). Senjata Api Alam Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
- ^ a b Manucy, Albert C. (1949). Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of the Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America. U.S. Department of the Interior Washington. p. 34.
- ^ Lettera di Giovanni da Empoli, with introduction and notes by A. Bausani, Rome, 1970, page 138.
- ^ Kheng, Cheah Boon (1998). Sejarah Melayu The Malay Annals MS RAFFLES No. 18 Edisi Rumi Baru/New Romanised Edition. Academic Art & Printing Services Sdn. Bhd.
- ^ Koek, E. (1886). "Portuguese History of Malacca". Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 17: 117–149.
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- ^ Ahmad, Rasdan (7 December 2014). "Melayu Sudah Lama Ada Senjata Api" (PDF). Digital Repository of National Library of Malaysia.
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- ^ de Roy, Jacob Jansz (1706). Hachelijke reys-togt van Jacob Jansz de Roy, na Borneo en Atchin, in sijn vlugt van Batavia, derwaards ondernoomen in het jaar 1691. Te Leyden: Pieter van der Aa.
- ^ Wilkinson, Richard James (1901). A Malay-English dictionary. Hongkong: Kelly & Walsh, limited. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Newbold, T.J. (1836). "Note on the States of Perak, Srimenanti, and other States in the Malay Peninsula". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 5 – via Google Books.
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