boats – a masterpiece of
traditional Bugis-Makassar design – are exceptionally strong, and are
famous for their ability to break through high waves and sail vast
distances.
The wooden boats have sailed the Pacific to Japan and Vancouver as well as the Indian Ocean to Madagascar and to Australia.
For Bugis-Makassar people, phinisi boats
have served as a means of transportation for generations. The boats are
used not only to connect islands and countries but also for trading
purposes.
The typical features of phinisi ships,
with two masts and seven sails of different sizes in orderly
arrangement, distinguish them from other traditional wooden boats in the
country.
With their unique shape and strength, phinisi vessels are almost entirely built traditionally, in method and equipment.
The center of phinisi shipbuilding lies
in two areas – Tana Beru and Bira – in Bulukumba regency, 180 kilometers
south of Makassar in South Sulawesi.
In the regency dubbed butta panrita lopi
or shipbuilders’ kampong, most people are skilled in building not only
phinisi boats but also various types of wooden boats for island waters
and motorboats for fishermen.
The boat craftsmen in Bulukumba do not
have special engineering training. They don’t need complicated designs
or technical calculations to determine the quantity of materials needed.
Everything is handled according to traditional methods.
In building a ship or boat, craftsmen
use a method that would be impossible in the mainstream shipbuilding
industry. Bulukumba builders begin with the bottom and sides of the boat
instead of the frame. But they rightly establish the boat’s balance so
it will float perfectly when launched into the water.
“We just use our feelings based on our
vision and judgment. That’s our guide in building a ship or boat,” said
Andi Herman, 40 Years old, a boat craftsman or panrita lopi, at his
shipbuilding site in Tana Beru village.
Expertise like Andi is inherited through
generations and centuries, a knowledge that is further honed through
daily practice with the help of builders’ instincts and natural gifts.
Phinisi shipbuilders also faithfully
observe local customs believed to guarantee the success of their work,
particularly in phinisi building.
One of the customs strictly adhered to
is the holding of rituals before building a boat and before its launch
into the sea, asking for smooth construction and safety.
Constructing a phinisi boat usually takes months before the vessel can be used by the buyer or owner.
Builders also support their workers.
“Their feelings shouldn’t be hurt as this may disturb their work and be
fatal to a ship’s safety. So we always pay their salaries before they
start working so they can perform their job peacefully,” Andi said.
Phinisi vessels prove that
Bugis-Makassar tradition and culture have survived current technology
and modernity. This is true in spite of the shrinking number of phinisi
builders, as many have moved to other provinces or other countries. Only
two big phinisi industrialists operate in Bulukumba, Muslim Baso in
Bira and Abdullah in Tana Beru, the rest being a handful of small-scale
businessmen.
The small number of phinisi producers is
due to difficulties in finding proper materials. A phinisi boat needs
several types of wood and not all are available now in Bulukumba or
other areas of South Sulawesi but have to be brought from other
provinces like ironwood from Southeast Sulawesi and ulin (a variety of
ironwood) from Kalimantan.
To overcome this problem, Muslim
proposed the Bulukumba administration cooperate with those provinces so
as to guarantee a supply of wood for craftsmen. So far, material
purchases are the biggest operational costs, as the wood is obtained by
paying cash, which requires large capital.
“Without such cooperation and government
assistance the number of phinisi producers will keep decreasing until
their eventual disappearance, with the ships only continuing as
memories,” Andi said.
