Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The island was divided into a number of Muslim sultanates.
The one the visitors had dealings with was centred on the city of
Mindanao (Davao) in the south. Dampier had plenty of opportunity
to observe its social and political structure. He found it a poor com-
munity ruled over by a despot who had the power of life and death
over his subjects. The sultan, a little man in his fifties, lived in an im-
pressive palace on 180 poles, well defended with cannon, and only
went among his people carried in a palanquin, surrounded by body-
guards. His need for protection was obvious, for he exploited the
people mercilessly:
If the sultan understands that any man has money, if it be but
twenty dollars . . . he will send to borrow so much money, pretending
urgent occasions for it, and they dare not deny him. Sometimes he will
send to sell one thing or another that he hath to dispose of to such
whom he knows to have money, and they must buy it and give him his
price. And if, afterwards, he hath occasion for the same thing, he must
have it if he send for it . . .
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Dampier found the citizens very lazy but this, he assumed, was
the result, not of inbred idleness, but of the disincentives of the sys-
tem. There was little point in a man earning more than a bare sub-
sistence if the sultan was likely to relieve him of his spare cash.
Mindanao's principal exports were tobacco, beeswax and rice
and its main customers were the Dutch, who were welcomed but
also viewed with suspicion. The sultan was well aware of how the
foreigners had come to dominate the Spice Islands and he was de-
termined to preserve his independence. That was why he made
much of his English visitors and pressed them to stay. There were ex-
changes of presents, and feasts, and ceremonial visits to the
Cygnet
and colourful festivals in honour of the Englishmen. Dampier was
particularly captivated by the gorgeously-arrayed dancing women
