Firefly360's Blog
A Collection of Published 360VR Articles and Personal JournalsArchive for August, 2010
Balangays: Raiders of the Sulu Sea
Author’s Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Click the images to view the 360-degree VRs. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required. Average VR size is 1.7Mb each.
Hundreds of years ago, the Filipino ancestors, part seafarers, traders and warriors, command much of the Sulu archipelago; from coastal areas of Zamboanga in the north, to Palawan in the west and North Borneo in the south. Control by the Sultan of Sulu, these warriors would often raid settlements and ships for slaves (hence the term “slave raiders”) on-board wooden crafts like the balangays. These majestic boats, described by Antonio Pigafetta, Ferdinand Magellan’s chronicler during the 16th century as sometimes having over 100 rowers, strike awe and fear into the hearts of their enemies.
Today, replicas of the balangay boats set sail again, not to raid and plunder, but to promote unity and understanding thru historically shared maritime bonds in Southeast Asia. The three wooden crafts: Diwata ng Lahi, Masawa hong Butuan, and the recently constructed Sama Tawi-Tawi undertake an adventure to retrace the migration paths of the ancient Filipino ancestors.
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