Re‐sewing the Sewn: An Ethnographic Record of Repair and Reuse of Sewn‐plank River Boats in Goa, India

Abstract

The tradition of fastening planked boats using sewing is characteristic of the Indian Ocean region. Despite known disadvantages of sewn boats, including that perishable materials need regular maintenance and repair, operators of boats used in the sand‐mining industry of Goa still see potential in discarded sewn boats. The problems, raw materials used, technology, and process of re‐sewing and repairing these boats to give them a second life are reported and discussed here.

Abstracto

Recosiendo lo cosido: registro etnográfico de la reparación y reutilización de embarcaciones cosidas de rio en Goa, India

La tradición de embarcaciones de tablazón cosida es característica de la región del Océano Índico. A pesar de que se conocen las desventajas de las embarcaciones cosidas, como el hecho de que los materiales perecederos requieren mantenimientos y reparaciones regulares, los operarios de embarcaciones empleadas en la industria de la minería de arena de Goa ven potencial en las embarcaciones cosidas descartadas. En este artículo se reportan y discuten los problemas, las materias primas empleadas y el proceso de recostura y reparación de estas embarcaciones.

抽象

重新缝制缝制船:印度果阿修复及再利用缝制河船的民族志记录

使用缝纫方式固定船板的传统是印度洋区域木船的特征。尽管了解制船的缺陷, 包括易腐材料需要定期维护和修复, 果阿采砂工业用船的经营-还是看到了-丢弃的缝制船的潜力。本文记述并探讨了原材料使用、技术以及再缝制和修复这-船只给予它们第二次生命的过程。

重新縫制縫制船:印度果阿-複及再利用縫制河船的民族志記錄

使用縫紉方式固定船板的傳統是印度洋區域木船的特征。盡管了解縫制船的缺陷, 包括易腐材料需要定期維護和修複, 果阿采砂工業用船的經營者還是看到了-丟棄的縫制船的潛力。本文記-並探討了原材料使用、技術以及再縫制和修複這-船只給予它們第二次生命的過程。

ملخص

Key words:

• Goa
• Sewn boats
• sewn‐boat technology
• ethnography
• Indian Ocean
• ship structure
• revenchem hode

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Lucy Blue and Dr Sila Tripati for encouragement and support to write this work. The work would not have been possible without the help from the boatbuilder/repairer, Chandru, and my father who acted as a translator. I am grateful to both of them. I would also like to thank reviewers for their input and the IJNA editor Miranda Richardson for being very helpful towards the publication of this article. The author declares that there is no conflict of interest with regards to this work.

Supporting Information

Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article.

A video titled ‘Resewing the Sewn’ shows the boat repairs described in this article and is available in the Supporting Information section online.