Technological Adaptation in the Transformation of Traditional Boats in the Spermonde Archipelago ...

28 Pages·2009·1.05 MB·English

SoutheastAsianStudies,Vol.(cid:11)(cid:10),No.(cid:8),September(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:9)
Technological Adaptation in the Transformation of Traditional
Boats in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi
Aziz S6A6B* and OHDO6L6 Katsuya**
Abstract
AlthoughtraditionalboatsandboatbuildingtechniquesinIndonesiahavedrawnscholarly
attention,attemptstoanalyzethetechnologicaldevelopmentinwoodenboatbuildinghave
been rarely made. After the introduction of modern technologies such as engines and
westernhullsinthe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)s,woodenboatshaveexperiencedrapidtechnologicalchangesin
whichacombinationoftraditionalandmoderntechniquescanbeobserved. Basedona
new typology of present boats in the Spermonde Archipelago, one of the important
maritimeregionsinIndonesia,thisstudyanalyzedthetransformationprocessofwooden
boatsinthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury,inwhichmoderntechnologyplayedan
importantrole,inordertounderstandthetechnologicaladaptationofthelocalpeopleto
thechangingcircumstances. Thestudywasconductedthroughliteraturesurveys,inter-
viewswithlocalpeople,andobservationandmeasurementsoftheboats,andrevealedthat
the modern technologies were effectively adopted and combined into the local people’s
existingknowledgesystem.
Keywords:boatbuildingtechnology,localknowledge,SpermondeArchipelago,SouthSula-
wesi
I Introduction
Traditional boats of South Sulawesi, or “Bugis prahu” which often appear in western
literature,haveattractedtheacademicinterestofbothIndonesianand foreignscholars.
However, most of thestudies were conductedonthebasisofliterarysources andthose
basedondirectobservationwereverylimited. Collinswhohadlocalpeoplebuildapalari
typeschoonerin(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:7)atBiraisagoodexampleofprovidingdetailedinformationonthe
structureofthetype[Collins(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:8)]. Pelly[(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:7)]whoconductedhisresearchonthesocial
inheritance of boat craftsmanship of the Ara people succeeded to provide us with the
siporari, the basic pattern of planks and frames of the traditional boat. Horridge [(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:3);
(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:7);(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:10)]discussedtheBugisprahuindetailswithwideperspectivescontaininglegend,
supernatural belief, rituals of boat building, routes and operations of trading, and
(cid:2) Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Gorontalo State University, Kampus Jambura, Jalan
JenderalSudirmanNo. (cid:10) KotaGorontalo,(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:10)(cid:5),ProvinsiGorontalo,Indonesia
e-mail:aziznan(cid:8)(cid:2)yahoo.com
(cid:2)(cid:2) (cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7) Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, (cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:3)(cid:4) Tarumi, Matsuyama (cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:10),
Japan
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A.S6A6BandOHDO6L6K.:TheTransformationofTraditionalBoatsintheSpermondeArchipelago
technical features such as rigging and steering installation styles, hull structure, and
plank and frame patterns. Hawkins [(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)] described different types of the Indonesian
prahuindetailandtouchedupontheoldertypesofexistingprahuinthe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:7)s. Detailed
andcomprehensiveexplanationsontheevolutionoftheBugisprahu,especiallythoseof
thepaqdewakangtype,arefoundinHorridge[(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:3)]withachapterspeciallydedicatedto
thetopic.
Although these are valuable achievements in the study on traditional boats in
Indonesia, research on boats and boat building technology has been rarely conducted
despitethefactthatthetechnologicaldevelopmenthastakenplaceinvariouswayssince
the(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:7)s. Thetimeperiodfromthe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:7)stothebeginningofthetwenty-firstcenturyis
aneraofthemostrapidtechnologicalchangesthatoccurredinwoodenboatbuildingin
Indonesia. Traditional hulls were modified and new types of boat emerged under the
influenceofmotorization. DiversityofthepresentboatsinIndonesiaisaresultofsuch
transformation.
Inordertoshedlightonthedevelopmentofboatsandtounderstandthetechnolog-
ical adaptation of the local people in this period, this study was conducted in the
SpermondeArchipelago,whichisatypicalmaritimeregioninIndonesia,by analysisof
the process of technological transformation based on the typological classification of
existingwoodenboats.
II Study Site and Methods
“Spermonde” is a colonial name given to a group of islands distributed offshore of the
southernpartofthewestcoastofSulawesi. Inacolonialmapof“Celebes”madein(cid:2)(cid:8)(cid:4)(cid:4)
by Johannes Blaeu, theislandslocatednorthwest ofMakassar were named“Spaeramon-
dij” [Pelras (cid:5)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:8): (cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:5)]. However, the name of Spermonde was never used by local
inhabitants. EvenatpresenttheygenerallyidentifythemselvesasToLibureng,Pallibu-
reng, Pallibu-libu [BUG] Tu libukang or Tu Liukang [MAK](cid:2)) which simply means
“islanders.” UndertheadministrationofSouthSulawesiProvince,theislandsaredivided
intotwokecamatan(districts):KecamatanLiukangTupabbiringconsistingof(cid:9)(cid:10)islands
andbelongingtoKabupatenPangkajenedanKepulauan(PangkepRegency),andKecam-
atanUjungTanah,consistingof (cid:3) islandsandbelongingtoKota(Municipality)Makas-
sar. InamapproducedbytheNationalGeographicSociety[(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:8)],thegroupofislandsis
namedthe PabbiringIslands.
TheSpermondeArchipelagoisascatteringof(cid:11)(cid:5)islandsoccupyinganareaofabout
(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:7) square nautical miles(cid:5)) extending from the west coast of South Sulawesi to the
MakassarStrait(Fig. (cid:2)). The archipelagoisinhabitedby about(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:7)people,andthey
(cid:2)(cid:2) [BUG](cid:3)Bugislanguage,[MAK](cid:3)Makassarlanguage
(cid:5)(cid:2) (cid:2)nm(cid:3)(cid:2)(cid:13)(cid:4)(cid:11)(cid:5)km;(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:7)nm(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:12)(cid:4)(cid:7)(cid:7)km(cid:5)
201
(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:7)(cid:8) (cid:10)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:10)
liveon(cid:2)(cid:3)islandsintotal. Itissituatedonashelfwithmanyreefs,shoals,andsandbanks.
The depth of the shelf commonly varies from (cid:4)(cid:5) to (cid:6)(cid:5) meters and the deepest point
reaches up to (cid:3)(cid:3) meters [Hydro-Oceanography Services of Indonesian Navy (cid:7)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:6)]. The
islandsnearthecoastareatarelativelyconstantdistantfromeachotherandtheouter
islandsare situatedalittlefarawayfromeachother.
With regard to the use of boats as animportantmeansoflivelihood,thehistoryof
the Spermonde Archipelago can be traced back to the age of petit kingdoms such as
Siang,andGowawhichdeservesapageinthehistoryofboatsinSouthSulawesiinthe
fifteenthtotheearlyseventeenthcenturies.(cid:2)) Thearchipelago,particularlyinthehistory
Fig. (cid:2) TheSpermondeArchipelago
Source: The first author has reproduced from a more detail seamap[Hydro-Oceanography
ServicesofIndonesianNavy(cid:7)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:6)].
(cid:2)(cid:2) Siang(modernPangkajene)inthelatefifteenthtothefirsthalfofsixteenthcentury[Pelras
(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:8)(cid:9)];Gowa-Tallo(modernMakassar),sixteenthtoseventeenthcentury[Mattulada(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:8)(cid:4)].
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A.S6A6BandOHDO6L6K.:TheTransformationofTraditionalBoatsintheSpermondeArchipelago
of these coastal kingdoms, occupied a significant position as a provider of natural
resources for trading, and, in times of turmoil, a haven for political refugees as well as
places for execution or exile [Andaya (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:2)]. In later times, when Malay and Buginese
tradersbegantoinhabittheislandsintheearlyeighteenthcenturyoftheDutchcolonial
era, the trading activities on some of the islands such as Laiya and Salemo grew as a
black market behind the formal trading controlled by the Dutch trading company, the
VOC(cid:5))[KnaapandSutherland(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:5)].
The study was intermittently conducted in the period from October (cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:5) to March
(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:8) mainly in Kulambing, Sabutung, Salemo, and Laiya by applying various kinds of
surveys; literature surveys, interviews to local people, and observations and measure-
mentsoftheboats. Based ontheresults obtainedfromthese surveys boatevolutionin
the earlier period in South Sulawesi is re-examined through literature, while recent
development of the present boats is traced back through interviews, investigation of
miniaturemodelsandphotographs,andobservationoftheboatsbuiltindifferentstages
oftheirdevelopment.
III Results and Discussions
III(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2) Boats in the Spermonde Archipelago
Mainlyengagedinfisherytoearnaliving,theislandersusevariousfishingmethodssuch
as line fishing, gillnet, fish trap, small- and middle-scale trawl, purse seine, lift net,
reef-fishdivingwithharpoon,teripang(seaslug)gathering,andsomedestructivefishing
methods. Allrequirethemtousevarioustypesandsizesofboat. Onseveralislands,such
as Sabutung, Kulambing and Laiya, those who engage in trade have developed their
cargoshipstocarrysackedcargosuchascement,rice,andsaltandlong-stemcargosuch
as timber. Their dependency on the mainland Sulawesi for logistics and education
requires a type of boat for public transportation, carrying passenger and goods, which
connectsanislandwithports or townsonthemainland.
In otherwords, boatsare thebackboneoftheirsocialandeconomicactivities. The
importance of boats is confirmed by the ratio of boat number to population that is
estimated (cid:2):(cid:2)(cid:7). Itmeansthatthereisoneboatavailableforevery(cid:2)(cid:7)persons or, ifthe
average number of family member is five, one out of two families possesses a boat
[Central Bureau ofStatistics,PangkepRegency(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:9)].
Table(cid:2),whichisobtainedfromtheFishery andMarine Services ofSouthSulawesi
Province[(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:10)],illustratesthenumberofboatsinPangkepRegencyaccordingtofishing
methods and propulsion from (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:8) to (cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:10). These data present only the number of
“recorded” fishing boats of small and medium sizes using some major fishing and
(cid:5)(cid:3) VereningdeOostCompagnie
203
(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:7)(cid:8) (cid:11)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:10)
Table (cid:2) NumberofBoatsofMajorFishingMethodsandPropulsioninPangkepRegency,(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:10)(cid:2)(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:8)
FishingMethods PropulsionMethods
Shrimp Non-powered Outboard Inboardengine
Year Purseseine Setgillnet
gillnet mediumsize engine (cid:4)(cid:2)(cid:6)GT
(pagae) (papuka) (papuka) plankboat outrigger (jolloroq(cid:2)motoroq)
(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:10) (cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:5) (cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:5) (cid:6)(cid:11)(cid:10) (cid:7)(cid:12)(cid:10) (cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:12) (cid:11)(cid:2)(cid:8)
(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:5) (cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:11) (cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:4) (cid:9)(cid:11)(cid:12) (cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:11) (cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:10) (cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:12)
(cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:12) (cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:11) (cid:2)(cid:12)(cid:7) (cid:5)(cid:8)(cid:10) (cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:10) (cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:10) (cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:11)
(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:4) (cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:10) (cid:3) (cid:12)(cid:11)(cid:4) (cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:10) (cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:10) (cid:6)(cid:11)(cid:10)
(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:2) (cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:7) (cid:3) (cid:12)(cid:11)(cid:2) (cid:7)(cid:5)(cid:2) (cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:11) (cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:9)
(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:7) (cid:7)(cid:7)(cid:7) (cid:3) (cid:12)(cid:7)(cid:8) (cid:7)(cid:6)(cid:2) (cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:2) (cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:6)
(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:8) (cid:2)(cid:8)(cid:11) (cid:3) (cid:12)(cid:5)(cid:12) (cid:3) (cid:3) (cid:3)
Source:[FisheryandMarineServicesofSouthSulawesiProvince(cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:8)]
Note: This table is extracted from more complicated tables; only categories with rather complete
andcontinualdataentryarepicked.
propulsionmethods.
The office of Biringkassi Port Administration in Pangkep Regency registers (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)
boats within the period of (cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:8) to (cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:9). Although the record of registration is quite
valuabledata,includingnameofowner,nameofboat,placeoforigin,length(L),breadth
(B), and height (H) of the boat and brand name and capacity of engine, it lacks data on
boat types. The boats that are registered within the range from (cid:2) to (cid:2)(cid:7)(cid:4) GT (Gross
Tonnage),dividedintotwocategories. Boatsupto (cid:10) GTnumber(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:2)withatotalgross
tonnage of (cid:7)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:8) GT while boats more than (cid:10) GT number only (cid:5)(cid:11) with a total gross
tonnage of (cid:7)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:5)(cid:7) GT [Transportation Service of Pangkep Regency (cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:9)]. Many cargo
boats of sizes greater than (cid:2)(cid:4)(cid:4) GT are registered at other ports and many small boats
remain unregistered due to the boat surveyor limitation and the remoteness of the
scattering islands. The numbers presented above are estimated to be only about one
third oftherealfigures.
BoatsintheSpermondeArchipelagoaredistinctandsimilartoboatsofotherregions
in several ways. Some boat types, such as the lepa-lepa (dugout canoe) and bilolang
(outrigger boat), are indigenous as they are in the Austronesian waters. Some were
genuinely invented, such as the jolloroq, pagae, and paes, out of the urgent need of the
localfishermenand,inthisway,theyaredistincttootherboatsthatmayperformsimilar
functions in other regions. Boats of these types with their characteristics may be
encountered at a remote place outside the archipelago with a certainty that they are
ownedandoperatedbyfishermenfromtheSpermonde. Woodenmotorboatsandcargo
ships exist commonly in Indonesia, and in the Spermonde Archipelago, their specific
characters that derived from their transformation historymakethemdifferent. Motor-
boats are called motoroq and cargo ships are called pangangkuq or lambo-type PLM
(perahulayarmotor/motorizedsailingship). Descriptionandsizeofeachboattypewillbe
givenlaterinthischapter.
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A.S6A6BandOHDO6L6K.:TheTransformationofTraditionalBoatsintheSpermondeArchipelago
III(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2) Boatbuilding in the Spermonde Archipelago
There are three necessary requirements for the existence of boatbuilding activity,
namely boatbuilding technology, boat demand, and availability of building materials.
TanahberuinBulukumbaRegency,oneoftheprominentwoodenboatbuildingcentersin
theworld,forexample,isrevivedbytheserequirements. Itinheritsthemostadvanced
wooden boatbuilding technologythrough theskillfulcraftsmanship ofthelocalpeople,
theKonjospeakingpeopleofAraandLemo-lemovillages.(cid:3)) Boatorderstothisboatbuild-
ingvillagecomefromwithintheregion, surrounding areas, different parts ofIndonesia
and the world. Building materials are partially supplied by local and regional traded-
timberdistributioninEastern Indonesia[Salam(cid:2)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:3)].
InSpermonde,ahighdemandforboatsfromislandswithinthearchipelagoseemsto
be the strong factor that attracts the availability of the other two requirements. The
archipelago originally had the semi-planked boatbuilding technique but it needs the
Konjo’splanked-boattechnique,whichisthemostadvancedwoodenboatbuildingtech-
nologyinIndonesia. MostofboatsarebuiltbytheKonjocraftsmenwhostay,byunitof
families,almostpermanentlyatseveralislandsandsporadicallyatislandsthatneedtheir
services. Whenajobthatrequires morehands isobtained,theheadcraftsman, usually
alsotheheadofthefamily,whoiscalled“punggawatukang”or“punggawa,”summonshis
peoplefromtheirvillageAraorLemo-lemo. Thesepeoplehavebeenprovidingboatsand
boatbuilding technology to traders and fishermen in the archipelago since the seven-
teenth century, when they served the Kingdom of Gowa and Tallo as boat builders
[Andaya(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:5)].
ThedevelopmentoftraditionalboatbuildingtechnologyintheSpermondeArchipel-
agoischaracterizedbythelocalandtheKonjotechniques, andtheassimilationofboth
techniques. Further,itisdictatedbypractical,functionalandaestheticalrequirementsof
thedesired boat,anddeterminedby buildingmaterials.
III(cid:2)(cid:2). (cid:5)(cid:2) Local Technique
Localcraftsmenpossessasemi-plankedboatbuildingtechniquewhichtheyusedtobuild
their outrigger canoe type called bilolang, a small boat that was traditionally used for
fishingandtrading,andnowadaysgenerallyusedforone-manfishingusinglinesornets.
Thesemi-plankedboatbuildingtechniqueisindigenoustotheAustronesians. Itisawide
spreadtechniqueusedtoenlargeadugoutcanoeintoanoutrigger canoewithsail(s)by
theadditionofoneortwolinesofsideplanksbeforeinstallationoftheoutrigger[Haddon
andHornell(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:8)]. Untilthe(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:4)sthistechniquewasstillusedbythelocalcraftsmento
buildbilolang and, later,alsothejolloroq types.
After decades of interaction with the Konjo boat builders, local craftsmen have
(cid:3)(cid:3) Konjo is a Makassar language dialect used at some areas in southern part of South Sula-
wesisuchasinBulukumbaRegency.
205
(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:10) (cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:2)(cid:12)
managed to learn the plank-boatbuilding technique by imitation and use the adopted
techniquetobuildtheirjolloroq andothertypes ofsmallmotorboats.
III(cid:2)(cid:2). (cid:2)(cid:2) The Konjo Technique
The plank-boatbuilding technique of the Konjo people is distinct from the western
technique. The difference basically lies in the sequence of building. In the Konjo
technique,planksareinitiallyfixedtoakeeluntiltheyformaconsiderablewidthofshell
to put ribs on. The molded shape of the shell determines the ribs curvature. On the
contrary,inthewesterntechniqueribsareinitiallyarrayedtoakeeluponwhichtheshell
planksare fittedtoformtheshape ofthehull.
The Konjo boatbuilding technology is wide-spread in Indonesia since Konjo crafts-
mengotoallshoresofthecountry,takingtheirskillsandtechniquetobuildboatsand
shipsandgetclosertothedemandandmaterialsource. TheKonjotechnique,including
the one used in the Spermonde Archipelago, is a result of many innovations out of a
combinationoftheinheritedtraditionaltechniqueandknowledgeofmoderntechnolog-
ies. TherearesomeKonjoinnovationsinventedinthisarchipelagounder theinfluence
ofthechangingcircumstanceoflocalneeds andrestrictions.
III(cid:2)(cid:2). (cid:3)(cid:2) WoodMaterial
Woodmaterials,usedbythelocalandKonjocraftsmenforboatbuilding,werecharacter-
isticallydifferentduetothedifferenceintheirboatbuildingtechnique. Localcraftsmen
used a tree trunk, hollowed-out to produce a dugout, timber for additional side planks,
especially for the bilolang, and bamboo for the outrigger floats and mast. The Konjo
craftsmenwiththeirplanked-boattechniqueneedastrongandlongtimberforthekeel,
straightbeams,andcrookedtimberfortheframes,andsuitableplanksthatcanbecurved
by shaping or bending. Ultimately, when logs became difficult to purchase and local
boat-buildersstartedtoadopttheKonjotechniquetobuildtheirjolloroq,theirneedsfor
woodmaterialsbecomesimilar.
Local boat craftsmen traditionally use the trunk of breadfruit trees (Artocarpus
altilis), which can be found throughout the islands, to make dugouts used for row-boat
and the lower part of their semi-planked boat, the bilolang. For additional planks they
usetimberofKalimantanoriginsuchasmeranti(Shoreasp.)whichcanbepurchasedfrom
the timber-trading islands of Sabutung, Kulambing or Laiya, or occasionally, mostlyin
thewest monsoon,foundinthe formoflogsdriftinginthesea.
Untilaboutthe(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)swoodmaterialusedbytheKonjocraftsmenforboatbuildingin
theislands,mainlybitti(cid:8))(Vitexcofassus)andteak(Tectonagrandis),were supplied from
themainlandSulawesipromptlyinfrontofthearchipelagoandwoodmaterialforboats
builtundertheordersoftheislanders attheKonjohome-villages,i.e. Ara, Bira, Tanah-
(cid:8)(cid:3) Otherlocalnames:katondeng[BUG],holasa,gofasa,kaumohute[BON](cid:4)BonerateLanguage
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A.S6A6BandOHDO6L6K.:TheTransformationofTraditionalBoatsintheSpermondeArchipelago
beru,andLemo-lemo,weretakenfromforestsinthehinterlandofBulukumbaRegency.
Fromthe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)sto(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:5)s,boats,orderedbytheislanders,werealsobuiltonshoreswhere
woodsources were plentysuch as inTanahjampeaIslandintheFlores Sea.
Inthe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:5)s,ready-madedugoutscalledbatangan,whichwerespeciallymadeforthe
lower part of the semi-planked jolloroq, were sold well in the Spermonde Archipelago.
But the supply of batangan gradually decreased in the (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:5)s and in the mean time the
supply of ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri) was plentiful. Ironwood was initially used
mainlyforhousingandpublicutilitiessuchas bridges andwharves, but thescarcityof
the batangan had dictated the local boat craftsmen to adopt the Konjo’s planked-boat
techniqueanduse ironwoodas themainmaterialfortheirjolloroq.
Although the Bornean ironwood has been imported to South Sulawesi since the
mid-nineteenthcentury,ithasbeenusedforsomeimportantpartsoftheboat(otherthan
thebilolangandjolloroq)suchasthekeelandenginefoundationonlysincethe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:5)sand
only since the (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:5)s ironwood has become the main material for boatbuilding in the
archipelago. Ironwood reached the peak of its importation to South Sulawesi in the
decades of (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:5)s and (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:5)s when many concessionaries started to exploit the forest of
Kalimantan [UNEP-WCMC (cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:9)]. The decades which timber traders of the Spermonde
Archipelagorememberastheerawhen“ironwoodwasafloatacrossthesea,”implyinga
large flowoftheironwoodsupply.
InSouthandWestSulawesi,theironwoodisatgreatdemandforhouseconstruction,
butthehighlyprizedwoodisnotfound. MostofthelowlandareasofsouthwestSulawesi
aredenselypopulatedwetlandthatexperiencefrequentflooding. Traditionalhousesare
preferably constructed on strong and water resistant poles, for which the ironwood is
wellsuited. ItisaClass-Itimber(cid:6)) fordurabilityandstrength, these characters are also
suitableforboatbuildingmaterial. Itisfarstrongerandmoredurablethanthebittiand
teak.
Islands with trade and shipping activities have good reason to import ironwood.
Theyhavenoself-sufficienttimbersourceandtheirtraderelationshipwithKalimantan
hasbeenaneasywaytopurchasetheironwood,initiallyforprivateuse,andeventually
as a commercial commodity. The various and broad range of uses of the wood have
stimulated a high demand, thus increasing the volume of trade. The demand was at
highest peaks during the (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:5)s and maintained a quite stable supply until about (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:6)
whentheeconomiccrisiscauseditssteadydeclinetothepresent,asitwasobserveduntil
(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:9).
III(cid:2)(cid:10)(cid:2) Typology and Classification
WoodenboatsinIndonesiagenerallyarenotlistedinthegovernmentofficialclassifica-
(cid:6)(cid:3) Accordingto a List of the Indonesian Commercial Timber issued by Forestry Research and
DevelopmentAgency(FORDA),IndonesianMinistryofForestry[n.d.].
207
(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:7)(cid:8) (cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:2)(cid:10)
tion due tothereasons thatwoodenboatsfailtofulfilltheconstructionandseaworthi-
ness requirements necessary for the classification. Wooden boats are built without
technical planning and drawings and lack a number of design calculations concerning
stability, strength, etc. The government authority, i.e., Department of Transportation,
classifieswoodenboatsintocategoriesaccordingtohullformandpropulsionregardless
oftheirspecifichullstructureandfunctionthatdeterminestype. Apartfromthegeneral
boat classification, i.e. fishing,cargo, andpassenger, woodenboatisofficiallyclassified
into:PL(perahulayar/sailingship),PLM(perahulayarmotor/motorizedsailingship),KM
(kapalmotor/motor-ship),andKLM(kapallayarmotor/motor-shipwithsail). Portcustom
andtaxregulationsare appliedupontheboatsbased onthisclassification.
During the last three decades of the twentieth century, new technologies, fishing
methods, and functions of boats have been introduced to the Spermonde Archipelago.
Respondingtothatsituation,traditionalboatshaveundergone atransformationresult-
ingintheemergenceofavarietyofboattypes. In order toanalyzethetransformation,
itisnecessarytohaveareliabletypologyandclassification. Typologyisastudyoftypes
which in this research is articulated as a way or method to define types of boat, and
classification is the assignment of boat types intogroups withinasystemofcategories
distinguishedbyhullstructure. Eachtypeisassociatedwithavarietyoffunctionsand
fishingmethods(see Table (cid:2)).
BoatclassificationintheSpermondeArchipelagoisestablishedasaclassificationof
woodenboatbecausealmostallboatsandshipsoperatinginthisarchipelagoaremadeof
wood. Onlyrecentlyasmallnumberofsmallsingle-outriggercanoesmadeofglass-fiber
havebeenintroducedtosomeislandsinthearchipelago,butthepresenceofthematerial
isignorableand,besides,theglass-fibercanoecanbeclassifiedmorphologicallyintothe
bilolang type.
Based on their hull structures, boats are classified into dugout, semi-planked boat,
andplanked-boatcategories. Thisclassificationisusefulinobserving boattransforma-
tionbecauseessentiallythetransformationismanifestedinthechangesofstructureand
formofthehull.
The dugout is the simplest form of boat; generally known as sampan in Indonesia,
andalsoknownaslepa-lepaintheSpermondeArchipelago. Adugoutwhichismadefor
lepa-lepaisdifferentindesigntoadugoutmadeforthelowerpartofabilolangandtoa
batangan of a jolloroq. The length of the dugout ranges from (cid:2) to (cid:3) meters and its
breadthrangesfrom(cid:3)(cid:4)to(cid:5)(cid:4)centimeters. Thedugoutsareusedforon-shore/near-shore
activities such as fishing and as ship-to-shore commuter. They are also used as recrea-
tionalboatforplayingandracinginsea-festivalsorcelebrations,suchasthemandisafar
festival(cid:6))andtheIndependence Day.
(cid:6)(cid:2) Four Wednesdays in the month of Safar of the Islamic calendar, when people, especially
youngsters,throngtotheseaforpleasurebyswimmingandeating.
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A.S6A6BandOHDO6L6K.:TheTransformationofTraditionalBoatsintheSpermondeArchipelago
Table (cid:2) ClassificationofBoatintheSpermondeArchipelago
Type
HullStructure FishingMethod(f)orCarryingFunction(c)
(size)
Dugout (canoe) Lepa-lepa Ship-to-shorecommuter(c)
(small) Pekang/Line&hook(f)
Semi-planked Bilolang Pekang/Line&hook(f)
boat (small) Puka/Gillnet(f)
Plankedboat Jolloroq Pekang/Line&hook(f)
(small) Puka/Gillnet(f)
Pete-pete/logisticboat
Privatevehicle,commercialpassenger&goods(c)
Maqbilolang/fishtrading(c)
Divefishing
Motoroq Pekang/Line&hook(f)
(small) Puka/Gillnet(f)
Privatevehicle,commercialpassenger&goods(c)
Trol/Trawl(f)
Bubu/Fishtrap(f)
Divefishing(f)
Pappalimbang Passenger&goods(c)
(medium)
Bagang Dari/liftnet(f)
(medium)
Pagae Gae/purseseine(f)
(medium)
Pacantrang Denreng/Dragnet(f)
(medium)
Paes Fishcoldstorage(c/f)
(medium)
Pangangkuq Cargo(c)
(mediumtobig)
Smallboatswhichhaveplanksconstructedoveradugoutareplacedinsemi-planked
boatcategory. Thebilolangtypeistheoriginalconstituentofthiscategoryandjolloroq
and bagang,builtinthesamewayprior tothe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:4)s, were alsointhiscategory. Due to
their high and upright sides, hulls of the bilolang and bagang are unstable without the
supportoftheoutrigger(s),orunlesstheyaremadeintocatamaranslikethe(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:4)sbagang
reportedbyHorridge[(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:3)]. Thepresentbilolanghassingleoutriggerswithanoutboard
engine and a triangle sail, used for line and gillnet fishing. Its hull is a double-ended
dugout with additional side planks; its breadth isnotmorethan(cid:6)(cid:4)centimeters, andits
lengthrarely exceeds (cid:6) meters.
Thehullofaplankedboatisacomplexstructure. Itswholebodyisconstructedby
piecesofwoodenplanks,frames,andbeams. Everyboatinthiscategoryhasakeelwhich
isthebackboneofitshullconstructionandribsarearrayedinarelativelycloseinterval
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