Uncovering the Histories of Bugis-Makassar Maritime Trade: Ammana Gappa (the Law of the Sea), the Trader Prince Daeng Padupa, and Colonial Ethnography

Panel Convenor(s)

• MA

  Mohammad Effendy Abdul Hamid

  National University of Singapore, Singapore

Panel Chair(s)

• MA

  Mohammad Effendy Abdul Hamid

  National University of Singapore, Singapore

Presenter(s)

• MA

  Mohammad Effendy Abdul Hamid

  National University of Singapore, Singapore
• HF

  Hattah Fattah

  Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia
• DB

  Donna Brunero

  National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore

This panel brings together scholars of Southeast Asian, colonial, and maritime history in an exploration of the Bugis-Makassar trade, culture, and heritage. The focal point for this panel is a rare 19^th Century Bugis-Makassar Manuscript detailing the trade and travels of  trader/prince Daeng Padupa which was recently uncovered by Universitas Muslim Indonesia (UMI) Makassar.  This document is the subject of scholarly collaboration, preservation, and translation efforts at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and provides invaluable insights into the trading world of 19^th century Bugis-Makassar, and of connections to Singapore as a trading centre. This panel introduces and contextualizes this manuscript, both in its historical setting and in contemporary times, by first tracing the importance and development of the Ammana Gappa law as a code of sea conduct adapted from the navigation and commercial law of Melaka by the Bugis-Makassar people. Then, we provide a critique of the types of information and historical value of the manuscript and what it tells us about not only trader/prince Daeng Padupa, but of a larger trading community. Finally, we bring in a colonial ethnographic dimension on what knowledge the British (a predominant focus) had generated about the region, and in essence what drove their interest in maritime ethnography and the stereotypes which predominated. This panel explores maritime history and networks via legal, social, cultural, and colonial histories. We argue there is still a demand for research to be conducted to better understanding the dynamics and cultural influences on trade, and the actors involved in these maritime networks in colonial Southeast Asia. Our panel showcases not only the historical dimensions of maritime trade and  maritime but of current efforts to preserve and document Southeast Asia’s maritime histories.

Presentations:

• 11:15 – 13:00 (GMT+7)

  Unveiling Cross-Cultural Trade Dynamics: Insights from Bugis-Makassar Historical Manuscripts
  

  Presenter: Mohammad Effendy Abdul Hamid – National University of Singapore
• 11:15 – 13:00 (GMT+7)

  Contextualisation of Implementation of Amanna Gappa Navigation and Commercial Law in Ethical and Socio-cultural Configuration in the Tanapulo Trade Era
  

  Presenter: Hattah Fattah – Universitas Muslim Indonesia
• 11:15 – 13:00 (GMT+7)

  The Pirate Wind and Model Ships: Crafting Knowledge of Maritime Asia
  

  Presenter: Donna M. Brunero – National University of Singapore (NUS)