A Cognitive Approach to Extant Boat Structure in Goa, India

Abstract

This article presents information derived from unfunded fieldwork undertaken between 2008 and 2014 in Goa, India. Traditional boat structure is understood in the context of the use of local materials in response to climatic, geophysical, and cultural factors. Expanded and unexpanded logboats are shown to affect differently the pirogues based on them. The outrigger is not used as a sailing aid. Small sailed boats with sewn strakes on a keel‐plank are compared with 19th‐century records. Simple techniques are used on larger sewn and metal‐fastened vessels still being built. Today some factors combine to compromise traditional construction, while others are bringing about the demise of the vessels themselves.

Key words:

• outrigger
• coir
• logboat
• sewn planks
• shallow draft
• ship‐lap

Acknowledgements

Paddy O'Beirnes rose before dawn to accompany me to risky places, measured details I could not reach, and took excellent photographs; Richard Barker has been a tireless support and critic; Chris Farmer has helped with figures; Dr Sila Tripati kindly arranged access to the NIO library and supplied photocopies; Eric Rieth encouraged and supplied information, as did Victor Gomez and boat‐owners Damasciano Fernandez, Jeevan Phadte, Gregory Fernandez, Suresh Betupagi and his nephew Tipu. Fishermen and boat repairers, such as August Fernandez and Chadrakant Bhutorampagi, patiently answered questions. My helpful driver, Chiley, drove to obscure watersides, following tip‐offs from friends. To all of them, and especially to Owain Roberts who initially guided me on this path, I am most grateful.

Notes

1. Formulated by Hornell (1946: 253), a blanket diffusionist theory to account for the distribution of outriggers is still accepted uncritically by scholars, e.g. Manguin (2012a: 617).

2. It has been suggested that trévire may be a misprint (Eric Rieth pers. comm.).

3. ‘L'ensemble de Goa est triste; à peine voit‐on quelques petits bateaux se détacher pour communiquer avec les villages situés dans la plaine fertile, mais presque inculté, qu'arrosent les branches de la rivière' (Pâris, 1843: 22).

4. However, in an unlikely place the technique did exist: sewn ship‐lap construction was employed in the Samoyed area of Siberia (Prins, 1986: 110–11, fig. 72).