The Buginese Mercantile Fleet

The voyages of The Makassarese and Buginese using pinisi (bugis traditional cargo boat) in the 15th century and before reached almost all the outskirt of Indonesian Archipelago and beyond. The story of Sawerigading adventrues showed how wide was their visition area. The figure became clearer when the new evidence was obtained from the sea law Amanna Gappa and the buginese nautical chart. From these evidences we could see that their voyages reached Aceh, Kedah, Cambodia, and to the east up to Ke island and Ternate bay, and north to The Philipines Archipelago (Sulu) and Northern Kalimantan (Borneo). According to an account by Daeng Saro of The Bontoranu Village, Tha Abalone hunters of South Sulawesi had managed to sail to the land of The Marege, the name given to the natove of Australia by the fisherman from Bugis and Makassar. These hunterswould sail from Ujung Pandan through Selayar, Wetar, kisar, Leti and Moa, and then to Darwin Sea Port at the south east