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#1 |
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A word encountered in a report of a pirate attack near Sumbawa in +/- 1850:-
"--- she carried eight lillas as well as one large caliber gun---" Does anybody know what a lillas is? I've looked at Portuguese, Dutch, Javanese, Malay, Classical Malay, Oxford on Historical Principles. Cannot find the word anywhere. |
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#2 |
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The spelling is wrong.
It should be "lela", in use it would be "meriam lela". It was a type of Malay lantaka, a light swivel gun. Some say double barrelled and longer than a normal lantaka, others say single barrel, just another name for a lantaka. Mods, could you shift this to the Ethno Forum? Thanks. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
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Thank you, Alan, for providing me with this interesting tidbit. As a collector of 'all things pirate', I was unaware of the name of the small, double barreled lantaka that almost looks like a pistol for use. Per haps this female of which you mention carried them in a bandolier, Blackbeard-style? Or just in a basket or bag (that was a lot of armament to go running around with!!)
Mark |
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#4 |
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Mark, "meriam" means "cannon" in Malay, some definitions of a lela give it as longer than a normal lantaka, some give it as doubled barrelled as well, so by either definition it was bigger than a normal lantaka, and a lantaka was a swivel gun used by boats, ships, canoes. It was not a pistol style weapon, but some of the smaller lantakas could be picked up by one man and carried.
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#5 |
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Hi Alan and thanks for the clarification. I am actually mortified by the fact that I took your quote of the 'she' to be an actual female!!!
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#6 |
Lead Moderator European Armoury
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Moved ... and title edited, as i though you wished, Alan
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#7 |
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Please see https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Lantaka where a good description and notes also about bamboo cannon are placed as well as this Miriam Lela weapon which as previously noted can be a double barrel affair...
![]() A quotation from the reference states Quote "Typically the earliest cannon with beautiful ornaments from this region are from foundries in the Malacca and Pahang,[1] with later models 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. In Malaysia, these double-barreled variants are called Meriam Lela (Malay for 'Lela Cannon') and appears to be longer than a typical Lantaka." Unquote. Intriguing that this weapon had a number of roles including honouring dignitaries with gun salutes, protecting from pirates and as a barter system and gifted for safe passage. Ibrahiim al Balooshi. |
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#8 |
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