Bangka are various nativewatercraft of thePhilippines. It originally referred to smalldouble-outriggerdugout canoes used in rivers and shallow coastal waters, but since the 18th century, it has expanded to include largerlashed-lug ships, with or without outriggers. Though the term used is the same throughout the Philippines, "bangka" can refer to a very diverse range of boats specific to different regions.^[1] Bangka was also spelled asbanca,panca, orpanga (m.banco,panco,pango) inSpanish.^[2][3] It is also knownarchaically assakayan (also spelledsacayan).

Bangka is derived fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*baŋkaʔ, withcognates includingKavalanbangka,Moribangka, andSumbawabangka. It is adoublet of two other protoforms referring to boats:Proto-Austronesian*qabaŋ and Proto-Central-Malayo-Polynesian*waŋka. Ultimately from the Proto-Austronesian lexical root*baŋ for 'boat'.^[4][5][6]

Indigenous Philippine boats originated from the ancestralsingle-outriggerdugout canoes of theAustronesian peoples, which themselves evolved fromcatamarans.^[7][8] These boats were the first ocean-voyaging vessels in the world, which allowed the seaborneAustronesian Expansion around 3000 to 1500 BCE, from coastal southeasternChina andTaiwan toIsland Southeast Asia,Micronesia,Island Melanesia,Polynesia, andMadagascar.^{[6][9][10][11]}

The oldest recovered boats in the Philippines are the 9 to 11balangay found inButuan variously dated between 689 CE to 988 CE,^[12][13][14] all specimens of whom were typicallashed-lug Austronesian boats. The technique remained common in Philippine (and Southeast Asian) boats right up to the 19th century, when modern boats started to be built with metal nails. Edge-joined planks continue to survive in some areas in the Philippines, though these are usually secured with metal rebars and rods, instead of the traditional lugs and lashings.^[11]

Unfortunately most excavations and recoveries of pre-colonial shipwrecks (including those by theNational Museum) in Southeast Asia focus more on the cargo rather than studying the ship structures themselves. Looting is also a problem, which contributes to the paucity of research on pre-colonial Filipino watercraft.^[11]

Various types of bangka were used in maritime trade. While the polities in the Philippines remained small and largely in the periphery of Southeast Asian trade, they were nevertheless part of the Southeast Asian market. The earliest exchange of material culture was thelate Neolithic trade inlingling-o double-headed jade or gold ornaments, manufactured inLuzon, which was traded with other Austronesian polities in southernVietnam andTaiwan. This was followed by later trade in ceramics frommainland Southeast Asia andsouthern China in exchange forresins, aromatic woods, gold, pearls, sea cucumber (trepanging),tortoiseshell,civets, fabrics,beeswax, andbird's nest. The main trading contacts of Philippine polities included theChampa polities in Vietnam,China, and theSultanate of Brunei.^[11]

Bangka were also used in wars and the naval warfare and coastal raids (mangayaw) ofthalassocracies, a notable example of such a warship is thekarakoa of theVisayas. These were seasonal and played a large part in thenoble andwarrior classes gaining prestige and plunder. Warriors participating in the raids had their exploits recorded in elaborate full-body tattoos.^{[11][15][16][17][18]}

In the variousanimistanitism beliefs of precolonial Philippines, the building of bangka often involved religious rituals, from the choosing of the trees for timber to rituals before voyages. Newly built bangka were imbued with a guardian spirit (anito) through various rituals, usually involvingblood sacrifices. Ancient and early colonial-era bangka were also usually decorated with a carved or painted face. Bangka had a central role in pre-Hispanic Filipino culture, functioning as personal transports, fishing ships, trading ships, and raiding warships. Motorized or paddle-driven bangka still remain the main form of watercraft in the Philippines.^[1][19]

Like all ancestral Austronesian boats, the hull of the bangka at its simplest form had five parts. The bottom part consists of single piece of hollowed-out log (essentially adugout canoe, the original meaning of the wordbangka).^[21] At the sides were two planks, and two horseshoe-shaped wood pieces formed theprow andstern. These were fitted tightly together edge-to-edge with lugs,dowels and lashings (made fromrattan or fiber), without using any nails. They formed the shell of the boat, which was then reinforced by horizontal ribs. They had no central rudders but were instead steered using an oar on one side. These were built in the double-canoe configuration or had a single outrigger on the windward side. In Island Southeast Asia, these developed into double outriggers on each side that provided greater stability whentacking against the wind.^[22][23][7] Bangka were also typically traditionallycaulked using a boiled mixture ofbalaw sap fromapitong trees (Dipterocarpus spp.) andgata (coconut milk).^[24]

Though most modern bangka in the Philippines have double-outriggers, single-outriggerdugout canoes also exist in thePhilippines. Examples include canoes fromLaguna de Bay, as well as boats fromLake Bulusan andLake Buhi of theBicol Region. A notable example is thearmadahan ofLaguna de Bay, which were dugouts typically 10 to 12 m (33 to 39 ft) long and 1 to 1.3 m (3.3 to 4.3 ft). They were equipped with two masts. The single outrigger float (palangoy) was either two bamboo poles lashed together or a flattened elongated beam on the starboard side. It also featured a counter-balance beam projecting off the port side known as thepaltek.^[25] In modern times, these types of boats are usually motorized or paddled. And the single outrigger is used to provide lateral stability, while still allowing fishermen to work withfishing nets. They were more widespread in the Philippines in the past, with a specimen in theUniversity of Southampton fromManila Bay collected in the 1940s for example. But they have largely disappeared in modern times, partly due to the scarcity of suitable timber and partly due to the relative cheapness of fiberglass boats.^[26]

Aside from being used in trade and war, bangka were of central significance to various cultures throughout the Philippines. Villages were known asbarangay, derived frombalangay, a common large boat type. Boat terminologies were used for ranks, place names, and even personal names, even in island interiors.^[15][24] Among theSama-Bajau people of the southern Philippines, various types of bangka like thedjenging and thelepa served ashouseboats of nuclear families and often sail together in clan flotillas.^[27] Small bangka were also sometimes used to transport rice and farm goods on land, as they were more convenient on narrow pathways than sleds or wagons.^[24]

Bangka feature prominently inVisayan mythology. A boat known as thebalanday is used by the deity Magyan to ferry souls of the dead. In the epicLabaw Donggon of theSuludnon people, a boat known asbiday na inagta (lit. "black boat") is featured prominently.^[24] In theWestern Visayas, adivination ritual known as thekibang involves occupants sitting perfectly still in abangka and asking questions while adiwata (nature spirit) answers by rocking the boat.^[24]

Since the introduction of the motor engine in the 1970s, the formerly widespread Philippine sailing traditions have mostly been lost.^[28] Most modern bangka are motorized and are known as "pump boats" (orpambot) orlancha (lantsa). Smaller boats usually use gasoline or diesel engines, while larger boats can use recycled automobile engines.^[29]

Bangka are also increasingly being made withfiber-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) instead of wood, which are more resistant toshipworms and rotting and are relatively cheaper.^[19]

• Armadahan - outrigger fishing boats fromLaguna de Bay.^[30]
• Balacion - a large outrigger sailboat of theTagalog people inLaguna with threetanja sails.^[31]
• Balangay - also known asbarangay, were very large two-masted sailing ships made using thelashed-lug boatbuilding technique. They were used for ferrying cargo and sometimes as warships. Large balangay usually had outriggers.^[32][33]
• Baroto orBaloto - A general term for native boats with or without outriggers in theWestern Visayas, synonymous to the termparaw. Not to be confused with theSama-Bajaubalutu.^[24]
• Batil - a large colonial-era sailboat used for ferrying passengers and goods betweenVisayas andLuzon.^[32]
• Bigiw - small double-outrigger bangka fromMindanao,Visayas, andPalawan characterized by a knife-like prow. Its name means "needlefish." They are traditionally propelled by sails and steered with a single oar, but are usually motorized in modern times.^[34][35][36]
• Dinahit - a traditional non-motorized double-outrigger sailing boat from theCatanduanes Islands with crab claw sails. It is celebrated in the annualDinahit Festival ofPandan, Catanduanes.^[37]
• Djenging - also known asbalutu, large outrigger houseboats of theSama-Bajau people.^[27]
• Guilalo - a large outrigger cargo ship of theTagalog people inCavite. Characterized by two largesettee sails.^[38][39][40]
• Karakoa - very largeoutriggerwarships around 25 m (82 ft) in length. They were equipped with fighting platforms (burulan) and platforms for paddlers (daramba). They had a characteristic crescent-shape with the prow usually carved into a representation of the mythical sea serpentbakunawa.^[15][16][18]
• Pangayaw ormangayaw - a general term for raiding warships.^[32]
• Lanong - very large two-masted outrigger warships of theIranun people that could reach 30 m (98 ft) in length.^[41]
• Paraw - a general term for fast double-outrigger sailboats fromVisayas. They characteristically have largecrab-claw sails opposite a smaller triangularforesail. Large cargoparaw had decorated edges.^{[24][32][42][43][44]}
• Pasaplap - outrigger sailboat fromIlocos.^[30]
• Seberen - outrigger sailboat fromBicol.^[30]
• Vinta - also known aspilang ordapang, are small double-outrigger boats from theSama-Bajau andMoro peoples from theSulu Archipelago, theZamboanga Peninsula, and southernMindanao. They are typically rigged with colorful squaretanja sails and have bifurcated prows and sterns.^[20] In 1985, the vintaSarimanok was sailed from Bali to Madagascar to replicate ancient seafaring techniques.^[45][46]

• Avang - a large two-masted closed-deck cargo ship of theIvatan people about 14 to 18 m (46 to 59 ft) in length. Extinct since 1910.^[47]
• Bilo - a cargo vessel with a small rectangulartanja sail.^[32]
• Falua - a traditional open-deck boat of the Ivatan people usually 8 to 12 m (26 to 39 ft) in length.^[47]
• Garay - single-masted warships of theBanguingui people.^[48]
• Lepa - houseboats of the Sama-Bajau with no outriggers.^[49]
• Salisipan - long and narrow war canoes of theIranun andBanguingui peoples propelled by rowing.^[48]
• Tataya - a general term for small boats, with or without outriggers, powered by sails or rowers in theBatanes Islands. They have several subtypes based on size and island origin. They can also be used to refer to the larger traditional trading ships of the islands: theavang,falua,chinedkeran, andchinarem.^[47]

• Awang - elaborately carved dugout canoes used inLake Lanao by theMaranao people.^[50]
• Bangka anak-anak - very small dugout canoes typically built for Sama-Bajau children.^[27]
• Birau - small dugout canoes of theSama-Bajau people.^[27]
• Buggoh - small dugout canoes of theSama-Bajau people.^[27]
• Owong - small dugout canoes used inLake Sebu by theT'boli people.^[51]
• Junkun - small dugout canoes of the Sama-Bajau people.^[27]

• Basnigan - very large modern motorized double-outrigger fishing ships around 70 to 100 ft (21 to 30 m) in length. They are capable of sailing in 12 to 15 ft (3.7 to 4.6 m) waves. They have detachable masts and booms used in a type oflift net fishing known asbasnig orbalasnig. They usually operate with smaller daughter ships known aslawagan, these are paddle-driven double-outrigger bangka carried on board. They are a common type of bangka in theVisayas Islands.^[10][52][53]
• Pump boat - corrupted intopambot orpombot, a general term for motorized small bangka.^[29]

• Karakoa
• Lanong
• Trimaran

• Indigenous ships of the Philippines
• Multihulls
• Sailing ships
• Two-masted ships
• Human-powered watercraft
• Military boats

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