Jongs

Jongs are a class of traditional sailing ships from the Malay Archipelago, used by communities in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. They appear in medieval and early modern records and were central to regional trade networks that linked Southeast Asia with India and beyond. The term jong (and its plural jongs) is rooted in Malay and Javanese naming, referring broadly to large, seaworthy cargo and sometimes war vessels.

Design and construction details about jongs vary in sources, but they are generally described as long, broad-hulled vessels with high sides and substantial freeboard. The hulls were built from wooden planks joined by mortise-and-tenon joints and fastened with pegs. Jongs typically carried one or more masts with square sails, and their rigging could include additional sails or spars depending on regional practice. The exact size and tonnage are uncertain and widely debated among scholars, with estimates ranging from hundreds to potentially larger capacities, reflecting differences in measurements and interpretation of historical accounts.

Use and historical role: Jongs were employed for interisland transport as well as longer voyages across the Indian Ocean. They carried diverse cargoes, including bulk goods such as timber, rice, and spices, and supported coastal and long-distance trade networks that connected the Malay world with India, China, and other regions. In some periods they also served in local or regional military capacities.

Legacy and scholarship: Modern historians emphasize that the term jong covers a range of ship designs rather than a single, uniform vessel. Distinctions between jongs and other ship types in neighboring cultures are sometimes blurred in historical sources. Overall, jongs illustrate the advanced shipbuilding and seafaring traditions of maritime Southeast Asia before the widespread influence of European naval technologies.