Picking up the Pieces: Goa's endangered traditional craft

Abstract

Three sewn boats surveyed in 1838 are used to evaluate traditional Goan sewn craft. Types additional to those recorded in the 19th century were located during fieldwork. The West Coast provided an abundance of raw materials exported to countries which lacked them; unknown is the extent of the export of local expertise. A consistency of sewing methods, materials, waterproofing, and antifouling are evidence for an indigenous boatbuilding tradition. In Goan pirogues the weight of the crew and nets is carried at the level of the sheer‐strake seam. In prehistory large pirogues of Goan type could have made long‐distance voyages using an outrigger to confer stability. To date archaeological evidence is lacking.

Abstracto

Recogiendo las piezas: embarcaciones tradicionales de Goa en peligro

Tres embarcaciones cosidas prospectadas en 1828 son empleadas para evaluar las embarcaciones cosidas tradicionales de Goa. Otros tipos adicionales a los registrados en el siglo XIX fueron localizados durante el trabajo de campo. La costa occidental proveía abundancia de materias primas que fueron exportadas a los países que carecían de ellas. Se desconoce que tan extendida fue la exportación de experticia local. La consistencia en los métodos de costura, los materiales, las técnicas de impermeabilización y prevención de organismos incrustantes y perforantes; son evidencias de una tradición indígena de construcción naval. En las piraguas de Goa el peso de la tripulación y de las redes es cargado al nivel de la borda. En la prehistoria largas paraguas del tipo de las de Goa pueden haber realizado viajes de larga distancia empleando una batanga para conferir estabilidad. A la fecha no se han descubierto evidencias arqueológicas.

抽象

碎片拾取:果阿濒临灭绝的传统船只

1838年调查中发现的三艘缝制船被用于评-传统果阿缝制船。田野工作中又确定了19世纪未记录的船型。西海岸大量的原材料出口到缺乏-些物资的国家, 但当地专业知识输出程度尚未可知。缝制方法、原料、防水性以及防污性的一致性是本地造-传统存在的证据。在果阿独木舟-船员及渔网的重量承载于-顶列板接缝高度。在史前时代, 当大型果阿类型独木舟进行长距离航线时, 可能采用一-舷外托架以保持其稳定性。然而迄-为止, 尚无考古学上的证据支持此推论。

碎片拾取:果阿瀕臨滅絕的傳統船只

1838年調查中發現的三艘縫制船被用于-估傳統果阿縫制船。田野工作中又確定了19世紀未記錄的船型。西海岸大量的原材料出口到缺乏-些物資的國家, 但當地專業知識輸出程度尚未可知。縫制方法、原料、防水性以及防汙性的一致性是本地造船傳統存在的證據。在果阿獨木舟-船員及漁網的重量承載於舷頂列板接縫高度。在史前時代, 當大型果阿類型獨木舟進行長距-航線時, 可能采用一-舷外托架以保持其穩定性。然而-今爲止, 尚無考古學上的證據支持此推論。

ملخص

Key words:

• sewn boat
• pirogue
• Goa
• traditional craft

Notes

1. The concise description attributed to Marco Polo is pertinent to this subject and in the context of our increased understanding is worth quoting:

He said of Hormuz:

Merchants come thither from India with ships loaded with spicery and precious stones, pearls, cloths of silk and gold, elephants' teeth and many other wares, which they sell to the merchants of Hormos and which these in turn carry all over the world to dispose of…

There ships are wretched affairs, and many of them get lost; for they have no iron fastenings and are only stitched together with twine made from the husk of the Indian nut. They beat this husk until it becomes like horse‐hair, and from that they spin twine, and with this stitch the planks of the ships together. It keeps well, and is not corroded by the sea‐water, but it will not stand well in a storm. The ships are not pitched, but are rubbed with fish oil. They have one mast, one sail and one rudder, and have no deck, but only a cover spread over the cargo when loaded. This cover consists of hides, and on top of these hides they put the horses which they take to India for sale. They have no iron to make nails of, and for this reason they use only wooden nails in their shipbuilding and then stitch the planks with twine as I have told you. Hence it is a perilous business to go a voyage in one of these ships, and many of them are lost, for in that Sea of India the storms are often terrible. (Yule and Cordier, 1920, I: 110–111)