Indonesian Boatbuilding Endangered Knowledge Project

PI: Chiara Zazzaro | Collaborators: Antonia Soriente, Horst Liebner, and Guswan Gunawan
Project ID: 2021SG09 | Location of Research: South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Host Institution: Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”

Launched in 2021, the project aimed to document materials, techniques, and terminology in traditional Indonesian boatbuilding. While many aspects of boatbuilding have changed over time, some aspects of the craft’s essence persist. Modern tools such as drills, chainsaws, and electric planers have replaced more labor-intensive methods; however, others, including the use of wooden dowels and shaping planks by adze, are still practised. A shift towards motorized boats since the late 1970s has still led many sophisticated procedures to be abandoned. The project’s main contribution was the reproduction of techniques and knowledge transmitted by master shipbuilders. This included the use of the pannatta’—a bamboo cane with incisions marking board alignment points—and the measuring stick used in planking assembly, a tool reflecting the oral nature of boatbuilding traditions.

A significant achievement was the construction of the boat Perla Anugerah Ilahi. Measuring approximately 11 meters in length (16.5 meters overall) and 3 meters in width, the vessel was built using the orally transmitted techniques of master shipwright Patta Umang and constructed by Harli Novianto and his team.

Today, the boat is a cultural and community asset, supporting initiatives such as distributing books to children on remote islands through the association Pustaka Bergerak. Following its launch, the Perla Anugerah Ilahi sailed in the waters of South and West Sulawesi with a crew of local sailors and young trainees. It provided training in traditional navigation skills, promoted the role of traditional boatbuilding and navigation, and continues to contribute to the preservation of maritime knowledge through the local association Amanah Budaya Bahari Nusantara.

Additionally, the project has documented rituals and beliefs of the Konjo people living in Tana Beru, and produced a Konjo-Indonesian-English dictionary of nautical terminology. These efforts have had a significant impact on the local community by revitalizing traditional boatbuilding-associated rituals and terminology. The recorded data will be further analyzed by linguists at BRIN (the Indonesian research institution) and stored in the Language Documentation of Indonesia (LADIN) and PARADISEC databases.

Methodology

In documenting traditional boatbuilding in Sulawesi, an interdisciplinary approach was adopted, integrating anthropology, ethnography, and language documentation in order to observe and describe the social and cultural dimensions of boatbuilding within the Tana Beru community. The construction of a wooden vessel was commissioned to ensure a systematic and coherent documentation of wooden boatbuilding practices in the Tana Beru boatyards. The vessel provided a unique opportunity to record the different stages of construction, which were documented through photographic and video recording.

Video and photographic data were primarily collected by Horst Liebner and Chiara Zazzaro using a Sony a7C camera and a Canon XA50. The resulting materials were organised to cover both the broader environmental and cultural context and the individual phases of construction, as well as associated rituals.

Photogrammetric surveys were conducted through collecting numerous images of boats in the Tana Beru boatyards. In most cases, only one side of large vessels could be documented due to obstructions caused by surrounding structures. In the case of Perla Anugerah Ilahi, initial photographs focused on construction details, followed by additional image sets made after deck installation and hull painting.

Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated to ensure accessibility to a wider audience. These recordings provide detailed information on the entire boatbuilding process, from the selection of timber in the forest to the performance of associated ceremonies. Particular attention was given to rituals such as the keel-laying ceremony (annatta’ kalebiseang) and the ammossi’ (the drilling of a hole in the hull), both of which represent crucial final stages prior to the launch.

Selected Assets

The following provide an overview of the boatbuilding process and context.

Acknowledgements from the Project Team

We are deeply grateful to the Tana Beru community for their generous collaboration and for sharing their knowledge, skills, and time throughout the documentation process. We extend our sincere thanks to the panrita lopi—in particular Patta Umang, Syarifuddin Patta, and Najib—whose expertise and willingness to transmit their knowledge were fundamental to this research.

We are equally indebted to the shipbuilders, workers, and younger generations of boatbuilders, including Harli Novianto and his team, for their openness and active participation in all phases of the project. Special thanks are also due to the women of the community, whose contributions to daily activities and ritual practices were essential to a deep understanding of the boatbuilding process.

We further acknowledge the invaluable support of local researchers and collaborators, whose linguistic, cultural, and technical expertise made this work possible. This project would not have been possible without the trust, hospitality, and commitment of the Tana Beru community.