Saltwater Slavers and Captives in the Sulu Zone, 1768–1878

Abstract

In the early nineteenth century several Malayo-Muslim ethnic groups, the Iranun and Samal-Balangingi, specialized in state-sanctioned maritime raiding, attacking Southeast Asian coastal settlements and shipping. This paper traces the slaving and raiding operations of these sea raiders and how the economy of their sponsor, the Sulu Sultanate, was integrated into the world-capitalist system. The paper stresses the motives behind their slave raids, the hazardous nature of their long distance expeditions, and the experience of their captives in the middle passage. It also highlights the background and origins of the Iranun and Balangingi, their raiding vessels and crews, their social organization, and daily life at sea.