The pirates of the Indonesian archipelago were typically members of the tribes lining the coasts and rivers of the islands populating the area. The most prominent areas with documented piracy were the Phillipines and Borneo, the latter being the most well documented and the most dangerous in terms of piracy. Generally, these pirates were members of their home territory's naval or mercantile fleet. In most tribes, being a pirate was considered to be the most noble job a man could have, and was even expected of most young men over 17. These tribes usually only attacked because they were provoked, or because the defending vessel had entered their territory, though there are certainly exceptions.  It is also worth noting that many tribes in the archipelago, especially those further north, were under some kind of European influence, usually Dutch. Additionally, because there were so many independent subgroups, there was no universal set of legal or penal codes to follow; jurisdiction and sentencing was typically up to the tribe's chief.  It is very difficult to pinpoint specific areas and tribes because the tribes were so fragmented and diverse throughout the archipelago, but there are a few for which there is specific information available through the journals of British naval officers. 








The Sakarran dyaks are by far the most documented, and this is because of their aggressive behavior in and around their waters. This tribe lived in or near Sarewak, and were supposedly the largest and the most vicious towards Europeans. They were also said to be cheap traders, hoping to swindle outsiders into giving them more expensive things for very little in return.





The Malakus lived in what is now Halmahera. Their primary trade was slavery; they would seek out smaller, weaker tribes along the islands' coasts and attack, taking forst women and children, and afterward young, fit men if they still had room. They would then take these people elsewhere to be sold, though it is not said exactly where this was. The Malakus, unlike other tribes, were known to attack Chinese and Malaysian ships.








The Sarebans also lived in or near Sarewak. This group, though similar in appearance to the Sakarrans, were generally very peaceful and especially averse to firearms. They would flee upon hearing European guns and would not trade for them. They stuck instead to shields, knives, spears, etc.





The last group, the Sibnowans, lived near Lundu; this group was more aggressive towards their fellow tribes than towards Europeans and Asians from their north. They would sever the heads of defeated enemies and display them in their homes; in fact, a young man could not even get married until he had at least one head in his home. This tribe was especially susceptible to slavery, as families would often go into debt and have to sell their children to get out of it.










There is also some general, semi-universal information on the pirates' culture, though this of course would also vary to some degree between tribes. In terms of weaponry, they typically used spears to attack from a short distance and intricate wooden shields to defend. Many would also use firearms provided by or bought from Europeans, depending on that tribes' relationship with colonial forces. Fleets tended to be anywhere up to one-thousand five hundred men, made up of ships that were long and low to the water. These ships would have a lower deck, where some men would row and steer, and an upper deck where the other men could fight from using their spears. Because of this, close naval combat and boarding the ships they were attacking was important. In trading, most tribes had some naturally-occurring spices on their island that Europeans desired, such as nutmeg. Slave trade was rampant in these waters, headed by the pirates. They are documented pursuing jewelry, pottery, and gunpowder, though again, this would vary greatly by tribe.