Lexi Webster
The Makassar people from the region of Sulawesi in Indonesia began visiting the coast of Northern Australia around the middle of the 18th century. They traded with Aboriginal people for trepang (sea cucumber), which they later sold to China. The Makassans' trade with Australia ended in 1906 or 1907, due to heavy taxation, a government policy restricting non-white commerce, and the expansion of British settlements across Northern Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the last voyage | 1907 |
| Reason for the cessation | Heavy taxation, government policy restricting non-white commerce, and overfishing |
| Frequency of voyages | Annual |
| Number of fishermen | Hundreds |
| Origin of fishermen | Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| Destination in Australia | Arnhem Land coast, Northern Territory |
| Purpose of voyages | Trade for trepang (sea cucumber) |
| Processing method for trepang | Boiling, drying, and smoking |
| Trade destination for trepang | China |
| Cultural exchange | Introduction of calico, tobacco, smoking pipes, and new words to the Yolŋu people |
| Historical evidence | Indigenous Australian rock art, bark paintings, archaeological remains |
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What You'll Learn
- The Makassans traded trepang (sea cucumber) with Aboriginal Australians
- The trepang trade began in the 1600s or 1700s
- The trade ended in 1906 or 1907 due to government intervention and taxation
- The Makassans influenced Yolngu society and ritual
- There is evidence of contact between the Makassans and Indigenous Australians in rock art and bark paintings
The Makassans traded trepang (sea cucumber) with Aboriginal Australians
The Makassans, or Makassarese, are people from the region of Sulawesi in Indonesia. They began visiting the coast of Northern Australia around the middle of the 18th century, with the earliest recorded trepang voyage made in 1751. However, some scholars suggest that contact between the Makassans and Aboriginal Australians may have begun as early as the 1500s, based on radiocarbon dating of apparent prau (boat) designs in Aboriginal rock art.
The Makassans traded trepang, or sea cucumber, with Aboriginal Australians. Trepang is a marine invertebrate that lives on the sea floor and is exposed at low tide. It was considered a delicacy and an aphrodisiac in China, and the Makassans traded it with the Chinese. The processing of trepang involved spearing or diving to collect the sea cucumbers, gutting them, boiling them in seawater, and then drying them in the sun or smoking them over a fire. This process took place on the beaches of Northern Australia, with the trepang then transported back to Makassar to be traded with China.
The trade between the Makassans and Aboriginal Australians also involved the exchange of cloth, tobacco, metal axes and knives, rice, and gin. The Yolngu of Arnhem Land traded turtle shells, pearls, and cypress pine, and some were even employed as trepangers. While there is evidence of peaceful contact, there were also instances of violent confrontations between the Makassans and Aboriginal Australians.
The trepang trade between the Makassans and Aboriginal Australians continued for centuries, with the Makassans visiting the northern coasts of Australia annually. However, the trade began to decline towards the end of the 19th century due to overfishing, the imposition of customs duties and licence fees, and the newly formed Australian government's ban on trepangers from Makassar in 1901. The last prau from Makassar visited Arnhem Land in 1907, marking the end of the Makassan trepang trade with Aboriginal Australians.
The Makassan trepang trade had a significant influence on Aboriginal Australian societies, particularly the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land. The Makassans introduced new items and ideas, such as calico, tobacco, smoking pipes, and words like "rrupia" for money, which became incorporated into the local culture and rituals. The trade also facilitated cultural exchange, with some Aboriginal Australians accompanying the Makassans back to their homeland and forming families.
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The trepang trade began in the 1600s or 1700s
The trepang trade, which involved the collection and processing of sea cucumbers, was a significant economic activity in the 1700s and 1800s. It involved fishermen from Makassar, a region in modern-day Indonesia, travelling to the coasts of Northern Australia. While some sources place the commencement of this trade in the 1700s, there is evidence to suggest that it may have begun even earlier, in the 1600s.
The Makassan trepang industry, as it is often called, left a significant mark on the history of both regions. For centuries, hundreds of fishermen from Makassar sailed to Australia annually, establishing strong bonds with the Aboriginal people they encountered. The Aboriginal people called the sea cucumber "tharriga" in Marrku, "jarripang" in Mawng, or "darriba" in other Aboriginal languages of the Cobourg Peninsula. The Makassans introduced new technologies and items like metal blades, calico, tobacco, and smoking pipes to the Aboriginal communities. They also influenced society and rituals, with some Aboriginal people travelling to Makassar and adopting Makassan words like "rrupia" for money.
The exact origins of the trepang trade are a subject of ongoing historical debate. While some sources suggest that the industry began around the middle of the 18th century, others propose an earlier commencement date in the 1600s. For instance, a Sulawesi historian, as noted by Regina Ganter of Griffith University, suggests the trade may have started around 1640. This earlier date is supported by archaeological evidence, including Aboriginal rock art from Arnhem Land recorded in 2008, which appears to depict Makassan praus (boats).
Furthermore, oral and written accounts of Aboriginal people travelling to Makassar with Asian fishermen date back to the 1600s. Photographs discovered in the Pigorini Museum in Rome in 2011 provide invaluable evidence of these historical connections. These photographs, taken in the 1870s, depict a group of Indigenous Australians in Makassar, including a young child. Additionally, the Gowanese Sultanate of Southern Sulawesi historically incorporated Australia's northern tip within its kingdom, as evidenced by a map that can be viewed in the Sultan's palace in Makassar.
The trepang trade flourished in the 1700s and 1800s, with Makassan fleets visiting the coasts of Northern Australia to collect and process trepang. The trade declined towards the end of the 19th century due to various factors, including the imposition of customs duties and licence fees, overfishing, and the Australian government's decision to ban trepangers from Makassar in 1901 to protect its territorial integrity and encourage a local industry. The last Makassan perahu left Arnhem Land in 1907, marking the end of this centuries-old trade connection between the two regions.
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The trade ended in 1906 or 1907 due to government intervention and taxation
For over 200 years, from around the middle of the 18th century, Makassar traders from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi visited the coast of Northern Australia. They came in search of trepang, or sea cucumber, which was prized for its culinary and medicinal value in Chinese markets. The Makassans traded with Aboriginal people for trepang, which they then processed and sold in China.
However, this long-standing trade came to an end in 1906 or 1907 due to a combination of government intervention and taxation. The newly formed Australian government of 1901 implemented policies that restricted non-white commerce and banned Makassan trepangers from visiting Arnhem Land to protect Australia's 'territorial integrity' and encourage a local trepang industry. Heavy customs duties and licence fees were also imposed, making the trade increasingly unviable.
The last Makassan perahu left Arnhem Land in 1907, marking the end of centuries of cultural exchange and interaction between the Makassans and Indigenous Australians. The impact of the Makassans extended beyond trade, as they introduced new technologies, items, and words to the Yolngu people, and there is even evidence of intermarriage and the establishment of permanent Makassan-Aboriginal communities.
Today, the shared history between the Makassans and Aboriginal peoples is celebrated by Aboriginal communities in northern Australia as a period of mutual trust and respect, despite historical evidence suggesting that this relationship was not always harmonious.
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The Makassans influenced Yolngu society and ritual
The Makassans, or the Makassar people from the region of Sulawesi in Indonesia, had a profound influence on Yolngu society and ritual during their visits to the coasts of Northern Australia. The trade relationship between the two groups marked the beginning of interactions between Aboriginal people on the north coast of Australia and the outside world. The Yolngu people obtained goods such as tobacco, cloth, axes, steel knives, and dug-out canoes from the Makassans. They also adopted many Bahasa Indonesian words and incorporated elements of their encounters with the Makassans into their rituals and mythology. For example, the Yolngu word for European or outsider, "Balanda", stems from the Makassan word for "Dutch" or "Hollander".
The Makassans introduced new technologies and materials to the Yolngu, such as metal and calico, and there is evidence of mixed marriages between the two groups. The Yolngu people also created songlines and dances about the Makassans, reflecting the deep and long-running nature of their relationship. The Makassans were also depicted in Yolngu artwork, with artists such as Mawalan 1 and his brothers, Mathaman, Milirrpum, and Roy Marika often portraying Makassan scenes in their work.
The Yolngu/Makassan Project celebrates the aesthetic culture created by these communities together, featuring works such as "Dhomala", a Macassan sail spun from woven pandanus and bark string, and "Baine/Bayini", a video performance exploring the importance of cloth in both societies. The Makassans and Yolngu formed "family" relationships, with the Makassans being absorbed into Yolngu society with shared responsibilities and rights. The Yolngu sometimes accompanied the Makassans back to Sulawesi, where they started families of their own.
The trade between the Yolngu and Makassans continued until the early 20th century when the newly formed Australian government banned it in 1906-1907 to protect Australia's "territorial integrity" and encourage a local trepang industry. The end of this trade caused an economic collapse in Yolngu communities that had relied on it. The strong ties between the two groups are still celebrated today, with events such as 'Centuries of Friendship' held in Sydney to commemorate the shared culture between the Yolngu and Makassan people.
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There is evidence of contact between the Makassans and Indigenous Australians in rock art and bark paintings
Evidence of contact between the Makassans and Indigenous Australians can be found in rock art and bark paintings. Rock art, including painting and engraving or carving (petroglyphs), can be found at sites throughout Australia.
In 2008, archaeologists recorded Aboriginal rock art in Arnhem Land that appears to provide evidence of Makassan contact in the mid-1600s. Based on radiocarbon dating of apparent prau (boat) designs, some scholars have suggested contact from as early as the 1500s.
There is also evidence of Makassan contact in the form of bark paintings. Bark painting, where painting is done using ochres on the dried bark stripped off trees, is an old tradition in Indigenous Australian art. In 1964, Mathaman Marika created a bark painting depicting the Macassans boiling down trepang (sea cucumber). This is one of seven bark paintings that appear on Davidson's collection list under the heading 'Bark paintings – Macassan Prau – Yirritja and Dhuwa Moieties'.
In addition to rock art and bark paintings, there is also archaeological evidence of Makassan contact with Indigenous Australians. Excavations on the island of Niiwalarra (Sir Graham Moore Island), off the Kimberley coast, have yielded evidence of Makassan fishers and traders on the island. There are also written and oral accounts of Aboriginal people moving to Makassar with Asian fishermen, some dating back to the 1600s.
It is clear that there was significant contact between the Makassans and Indigenous Australians, and this is reflected in the art and material culture of both groups.
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Frequently asked questions
The Makassar people from the region of Sulawesi in Indonesia first started visiting the coast of Northern Australia sometime around the middle of the 18th century, with some estimates placing their arrival as early as the 1600s or even the 1500s.
The Makassar came to Australia to collect and trade trepang, also known as sea cucumber, which was prized for its culinary and medicinal value, especially in Chinese markets.
The Makassar fishermen would collect the trepang by spearing or diving and then drying and smoking it before returning to Makassar and other Southeast Asian markets, where it was traded with China.
The Makassar stopped coming to Australia due to a combination of factors, including the imposition of customs duties and license fees, overfishing, and the Australian government's ban on trepangers from Makassar in 1901 to protect Australia's "territorial integrity" and encourage a local trepang industry. The last Makassar perahu left Arnhem Land in 1907.
There is significant evidence of the Makassar's contact with Australia, including Indigenous Australian rock art and bark paintings depicting Makassar boats and the processing of trepang. Archaeological remains of Makassar processing plants from the 18th and 19th centuries have also been found at various sites along the Australian coast. Additionally, photographs and written records from the 1800s provide further evidence of the interaction between the Makassar and Indigenous Australians.
