Kelulus

Lore & Background

Tomé Pires reported in 1513 that the pates (dukes) of Java possessed many calaluz for raiding, noting they were not fit to go out of the shelter of the land. He described them as carved in a thousand and one ways, with figures of serpents and gilt, ornamental and painted, used by kings for amusement. In 1537, Javanese kelulus encountered in Patani had two rows of oars—short paddles and long oars like a galley—carried 100 soldiers, and were armed with artillery and firearms. Gonçalo de Souza reported they had 27 oars and carried 20 soldiers, with swivel guns at bow and stern. Portuguese historian António Galvão in 1544 described the hull as egg-shaped in the middle, sloping upward at both ends, with a prow shaped like a high snake neck with a serpent head and deer horns.

Reader's Guide

The kelulus served as both a transport vessel and a war boat. Majapahit overseas invasions used kelulus in uncountable numbers. The pati of Java had many war kelulus for raiding coastal villages. During the Demak Sultanate's attack on Portuguese Malacca in 1512–1513, kelulus were used as armed troop transports for landing, alongside penjajap and lancaran, because Javanese junks were too large to approach shore. Queen Kalinyamat of Jepara attacked Portuguese Malacca in 1574 with 300 vessels, 220 of which were calaluzes, the rest being jongs of up to 400 tons burthen; the attack failed. In 1600, King Chiay Masiuro of Demak embarked in a calelus from Blambangan equipped with oar and sail, arriving after 12 days at Luca Antara (believed to be Australia), where he found Javanese inhabitants with mixed culture. The voyage caused great astonishment in Java. The kelulus thus played a significant role in regional warfare, trade, and exploration, though its exact design varied across sources.

Did You Know?

• The name kelulus may derive from the Javanese word 'lulus', meaning 'to go right through anything', with a literal translation of 'the threader'.
• Portuguese sources describe the kelulus as 'a kind of swift rowing vessel used in the Maritime Southeast Asia'.
• In 1537, Javanese kelulus in Patani had two rows of oars and carried 100 soldiers with artillery and firearms.