CHARLES D. COWAN : MALAY SEAFARER

Charles Donald Cowan (C.D. Cowan) was a prominent historian of Southeast Asia and a former Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). His work, particularly his 1961 seminal book "Nineteenth-Century Malaya: The Origins of British Political Control," is a foundational text for understanding the transition from trade-based influence to formal British administration in the Malay Peninsula.

While Cowan is primarily known for his analysis of British policy, his work highlights the maritime nature of Malay society and the skill of Malay sailors in several ways:

1. The Strategic Importance of the Malay Seafarer

Cowan details how the British and Dutch East India Companies relied on the geographical and navigational knowledge of the Malays. Before the era of steam, sailing through the complex straits and island chains of Southeast Asia required an intimate understanding of:

• Monsoon Patterns: The "trade winds" governed all movement. Cowan notes that Malay sailors had mastered these cycles for centuries, facilitating trade between India, China, and the Archipelago.
• Archipelagic Navigation: Malay sailors (and the wider Austronesian group) were recognized for their ability to navigate shallow reefs and intricate river systems that larger European vessels often found treacherous.
• Regional Dominance: Cowan posits that the Malays' exceptional skill at sea gave them a significant advantage, allowing them to dominate the maritime trade routes of the Straits of Malacca and the wider Malay Archipelago.

2. "Piracy" as a Skilled Maritime Activity

A significant portion of Cowan’s research focuses on piracy in the 19th century, which the British used as a justification for intervention (such as the 1874 Pangkor Treaty). However, Cowan’s historical analysis subtly reveals that what the British labeled "piracy" was often a highly organized, skilled, and traditional form of Malay naval warfare and statecraft.

• Technological Adaptability: The Malay lanun (often from Sulu or the Riau-Lingga islands) used specialized vessels like the prahu (perahu), which were faster and more maneuverable than early European sailing ships in the calm, windless "doldrums" of the Straits.
• Economic Control: These "skilled sailors" weren't just marauders; they were enforcers of local monopolies, showing a sophisticated understanding of maritime trade routes.

3. The Impact of the Steamship

Cowan argues that the decline of the traditional Malay sailor's dominance coincided with the advent of the steam engine. Unlike sailing ships, steamships could ignore the monsoons and navigate against currents, effectively stripping the Malay seafarers of their competitive advantage—their deep, specialized knowledge of the winds and tides.

Key Works by C.D. Cowan

If you are looking for specific quotes or deep-dives into his views on Malay maritime history, these are the primary sources:

• Nineteenth-Century Malaya: The Origins of British Political Control (1961)
• Sir Frank Swettenham's Malayan Journals, 1874-1876 (Edited with P.L. Burns)
• South East Asian History: A Bibliographical Guide

HIS SPECIFIC CRITIQUES OF THE "PIRACY" LABEL.

Charles Donald Cowan (C.D. Cowan) is credited with shifting the historical perspective of Malay "piracy" from a moralistic or criminal one to a political and economic one. In his seminal work, Nineteenth-Century Malaya: The Origins of British Political Control (1961), he provides several nuanced critiques of the label.

His core argument is that the term "piracy" was a simplified—and often self-serving—Western label for what were actually complex indigenous maritime activities.

1. Piracy as "Traditional Naval Warfare"

Cowan argued that much of what the British called piracy was actually the exercise of traditional Malay sovereignty. In the Malay world, a Sultan or chief’s power was measured by his ability to control trade routes.

• Enforcement of Rights: He noted that maritime raiding was a recognized tool of statecraft. A chief who attacked a vessel was often not a "criminal" but was enforcing his right to levy tolls or punishing a trader for bypassing his port.
• Political Loyalty: Cowan highlighted that many "pirates" were loyal subjects of local rulers (like the Temenggong of Johor or the Sultans of Riau), acting as a paramilitary force to protect the state’s economic interests.

2. The Label as a "Political Tool" for Intervention

One of Cowan's most significant critiques is how the British used the "piracy" label to justify breaking their own policy of non-intervention.

• Creating a Casus Belli: Cowan demonstrated that when the British wanted to intervene in a Malay state for economic reasons (such as tin mining interests), they often cited the need to "suppress piracy" as a legal and moral justification to the Home Government in London.
• A Shift in Definitions: He pointed out that maritime activities that had been tolerated for decades were suddenly re-labeled as "unbearable piracy" precisely when British commercial interests in the Malay interior became more valuable.

3. Economic Displacement as a Cause

Cowan critiqued the idea that Malays were "naturally" prone to piracy. Instead, he linked the rise in maritime raiding to the economic disruption caused by European powers.

• Loss of Legitimate Trade: As the British (Singapore/Penang) and Dutch (Java) established monopolies and drew trade away from traditional Malay entrepôts, local chiefs lost their primary source of income.
• Reaction to Colonialism: Raiding became a desperate economic alternative for skilled sailors who had been sidelined by European steamships and trade restrictions. Cowan viewed this not as "lawlessness" but as a reaction to the crumbling of the traditional Malay maritime economy.

4. Technical Skill vs. Criminality

While the British portrayed pirates as chaotic marauders, Cowan’s research highlighted their sophistication.

• He noted that Malay lanun (often from the Sulu or Illanun groups) operated with highly specialized fleets and displayed naval discipline that rivaled European navies of the time.
• By focusing on their skills, Cowan shifted the narrative from "thugs at sea" to "specialized maritime professionals" whose expertise was simply at odds with the emerging British legal order.

Summary of Cowan's View

Cowan’s critique boils down to the idea that "One man’s pirate is another man’s coast guard." He was among the first "revisionist" historians to suggest that the 19th-century "War on Piracy" was less about safety at sea and more about the British Empire clearing the way for a new, Western-dominated economic system.

Traditional Malay Vessels
Malay sailors utilized a wide range of craft, from small racing boats to massive ocean-going ships. 

• Jong (Junk): These large, multi-masted merchant vessels could reach 1,400 deadweight tons and carry up to 1,000 people. They featured hybrid designs with modular construction and specialized balance-lug sails.
• Bedar: A highly seaworthy, junk-rigged vessel often built in Terengganu using indigenous carvel construction (edge-on-edge planking without plans).
• Pinas: Another "Perahu Besar" (big boat) of Terengganu, influenced by Western schooners but retaining traditional Malay features like the use of Chengal wood.
• Sampan Panjang: A 19th-century fast boat used by the Orang Laut (sea people) for racing and transport, often outperforming European yachts.
• Perahu Payang: An open fishing boat common on the east coast, typically carrying 13–14 oarsmen and two rectangular sails.

British Maritime and Political Shift (Post-1874)
The 1874 Pangkor Treaty marked a transition from indirect trade protection to formal territorial administration. 

• The Residency System: The treaty mandated that the Sultan of Perak accept a British Resident whose "advice must be asked and acted upon" for all matters except religion and custom.
• Control of Revenue: Clause X of the treaty gave the British direct control over the collection and regulation of all revenues, effectively ending the traditional Malay kerajaan economics system based on royal monopolies.
• Suppressing Piracy: British authority was used to "legitimize" the suppression of independent Malay maritime activity, reclassifying traditional naval control by Malay chiefs as piracy to ensure safe routes for European and Straits Chinese merchants.
• Technological Displacement: British steam-powered gunboats gradually neutralized the maneuverability advantage of traditional Malay vessels, leading to a decline in local merchant shipping as trade shifted to larger deep-water ports like Singapore.

24/12/2025: 1.41 p.m