Perahu lambo have a particular cultural value and symbolic significance within the Bajo community, and there are a number of specialist boat builders (sandro/tukang perahu) in Mola who are also recognised for their ritual expertise. These men have acquired the esoteric knowledge that permits themto conduct the various rituals associated with different phases of boat construction — the joining of the stem and stern posts to the keel, the drilling and regular strengthening of the navel in the keel, as well as the final launching of the boat. A series of rituals is also conducted before a crew embarks on a fishing voyage and moves the perahu from the confines of the village to the harbour. All human actions must be synchronised with the cyclic phases that underlie the movement of nature or the cosmos (Southon 1995: 134), and on all such occasions, ritual experts consult lunar and other calendars (nginda allau/kotika) to determine auspicious times and days on which to conduct the rituals. However, ‘knowledge is not uniform’ and in Mola there are ‘different versions of the meaning of a ritual and different understandings of how a ritual should be performed’ (ibid.: 132).
One of the most respected sandro was Si Gunda from Mola Utara who died in 1996. A head boat builder with a number of men working for him, Si Gunda learnt the skill of boat building from his father and grandfather. He had recently built two perahu lambo that werestill being used in shark fishing — Tunas Muda and Berkat Nelayan — and performed rituals for a number of boats departing Mola on fishing voyages in 1994. Si Adam, from Mola Utara, was also a well-regarded tukang perahu, and during 1994–95 he was engaged in building large motor boats for Mola and Wanci clients. Si Adam was skilled in boat ritual, but because Si Gunda was senior to Si Adam, it was Si Gunda who was called upon to conduct the rituals for boats built by Si Adam. This was common practice in Mola. Si Mahating, a tukang perahu from Mola Selatan, was recognised for his ritual knowledge but was generally thought to have poor craftmanship and not to be as skilled at boat building as Si Gunda. Si Mahating worked on his own with some assistance from his son, building lambo for his own use or for later sale, but rarely working for a wage or commission. Si Nurdin, a tukang perahu from Mola Selatan had built a number of boats in Mola. He had then been living in Pepela for some years and was engaged in shark fishing, but in 1996 he returned to Mola and in January 1997 began to build a new boat.
There was also a handful of older men, former boat builders, in Mola who were still summoned to carry out rituals associated with fishing fleet departures from the village. Si Mbaga, from Mola Selatan, was usually called on to conduct the ritual for perahu departing Mola on fishing expeditions, but by 1995 he was too ill to continue and he died in late 1996. Another man, Si Gudang, was usually called on to perform the same ritual but he also died in 1996. This meant that younger boat builders such as Si Adam, Si Mahating and Si Nurdin would have to be called upon to perform such rituals more often.
The construction of a lambo begins with the laying of a single plank of timber which is selected for the keel (lunas) by the builder and owner. According to Si Gunda, if the plank of timber has a knot or eye in it, this brings good luck and good fortune (dalle/rezeki).
The length of the keel is the most important dimension of the perahu, and is determined by the builder or owner. According to one method, starting with the right foot, the builder walks along the length of wood, placing left and right feet end to end, one after the other, until he reaches the end of the keel. But he must finish with the right foot, not the left. Where the last right foot ends, a line is drawn exactly between the base of the toenail and the first joint of the big toe, and the keel is then trimmed to this length. Any deviation from this measure can bring misfortune to the perahu and its owner (personal communication, Si Gunda, 1995). Si Nurdin would take a measurement from the owner’s body by winding a length of string a number of times around his belly. Whatever method is used, the measurement of the keel by reference to the human body means that perahu are ‘individualized’ or ‘customized’ (Southon 1995: 100).
The keel, supported by wooden logs (kalang), is then joined to the stem post (pamaruh munda) and stern post (pamaruh bulli) with tenon and mortice joints (lesoang) (see Figure 3-2). According to Si Gunda, the stem post is joined first, followed by the stern post. The ritual offerings consist of a cluster of four leaves from the pepper plant, each containing a piece of betel nut with lime, four coins and four hand-rolled cigarettes. These objects are placed on a plate next to each of the two joints. According to Si Nurdin, the keel is the female and the stem and stern posts are male; the tenon joint in the stem and stern posts represents the penis and the mortice represents the vagina, so the joining of the keel with the posts represents copulation between husband and wife and conception of the perahu. At the same time, the perahu is said to be created by God, and the prophets are said to reside in the joints, so prayers are recited at the time of the offerings.
It is also said that ‘dua laki-laki dan satu perempuan; satu rumah tangga, satu perahu’ (‘two males and one female; one household, one perahu’), which conveys the idea of ‘the household as a metaphor for thinking about the perahu’ (Southon 1995: 140). When the posts are joined to the keel, a small piece of gold, sometimes wrapped in white cloth, is placed inside the mortice, and a square piece of white cloth 30 cm in diameter is placed over the tenon in both joints. When the parts are joined the white cloth protrudes on all sides so that:
the perahu has harmony like in the house, the perahu will be cold, the crew will be happy with the owner, no quarrels or disputes between the crew, and the perahu will always be successful (personal communication, Si Mbaga, 1995).
Gunda also said that gold and white cloth are used ‘so that the perahu is cold, the same as a house’. During the construction of a house in Mola, a piece of gold is inserted in the mortice of the centre post. [12]
Once the major structure of a perahu lambo is completed, a ceremony is held in which a hole is drilled in the keel. [13] The drilling of this ‘navel’ (bebol/pusat) is the most important moment in the boat’s construction.
The day selected by the ritual expert for drilling the navel and launching the perahu is a time of great celebration in the village. [14] A large number of people typically assemble around the perahu to watch and take part in the proceedings and to help push the boat into the water after the navel has been drilled. Inside the hull, the ritual expert selects the place in the centre of the keel to drill the navel and positions himself behind it, with a group of men around him. Three trays of offerings of ‘tasty and sweet’ food are placed along the inside of the hull above the keel, and a cluster of betel nut (pinah) is positioned at the navel itself (see Plate 3-4). A live chicken is carried into the boat and a small piece of its red comb is pulled out, producing a flow of blood that is dropped onto the place of the navel. The chicken is then left to run around freely inside the hull. [15] After prayers, the ritual expert begins to drill the hole into the keel while holding his breath (napas). Once the hole is drilled, it is plugged with a wooden dowel (pasa') and a piece of cotton cloth. This is later replaced with a dowel made of stronger wood. The wood shavings (sampa) are collected on a plate situated beneath the keel, mixed with coconut oil and stored in a bottle. [16] A final round of prayers is conducted and then the men descend from the boat and prepare to launch it into the water. The ritual expert stands behind the boat with his hand on the stern to protect the perahu as it enters the water. The other men then push from behind or pull on a rope connected to the bow and the perahu finally enters the water (see Plate 3-5).
At the moment the bebol is drilled, the perahu is given life by the expert. As in the case of the human body, the navel is the point of attachment for both the spirit (sumangaq) and the soul (nyawa) of the perahu.
If a perahu doesn’t have nyawa or a navel [bebol], then there isn’t a place where you can ask for good fortune, the perahu can get into danger at sea, or the perahu will not have enthusiasm or sumangaq to search for a living. In Sama language [the consequence of] this is called maluntu (personal communication, Si Mbaga, 1995).
Nyawa is permanent but sumangaq can be precarious, fleeting and even threatening. On the other hand, sumangaq is the source of a boat’s zest, enthusiasm or vitality. A perahu without sumangaq is maluntu, it has lost its vitality and must search for a living. A strengthened navel means a strong vital force which in turn is a source of good fortune. The navel of the perahu must be ritually restored and strengthened regularly in order ensure good fortune.
Si Nurdin observed that ‘perahu di anggap sebagai anak sendiri oleh pemilik’ (‘the perahu is the child of the owner’) and ‘di rawat dengan baik’ (‘it must be taken care of’). He also compared its parts to those of the human body: ‘perahu seperti manusia ada tanganya, ada kepalanya, ada mulut, ada matanya, ada kaki’ (‘a perahu is like a person, it has hands, a head, a mouth, eyes and feet’). [17] The perahu participates in a voyage as if it were a ‘person’, or more specifically three people, for when the costs and profits of the voyage are divided between the crew, the perahu (or its owner) has shares equivalent to those of three crew members.
If the perahu is conceived of as a living thing, what happens to its vital energy if it is destroyed? What of a perahu burned by Australian authorities? It is said that the boat builder and/or owner of a boat can feel if something bad has happened to a perahu. When asked what happens when a perahu lambo is apprehended and destroyed by burning, Si Gunda stated:
When a perahu is apprehended and burnt until destroyed the builder experiences the feeling that the perahu is dead, it cannot return home since its nyawa has vanished. [18]
It must be assumed that the sumangaq is also extinguished at this time. The destruction of a boat is effectively the destruction of the owner’s child.
[12] The cooling effect of metals included in house construction among the Giman of Halmahera is explained by Teljeur (1990: 70): ‘cool denotes a condition that promotes health, beauty and prosperity; while hot denotes the opposite condition, resulting in illness, misfortune and a short life’.
[13] The practical function of this hole is to allow for drainage of water collected in the bilge when the boat has been beached.
[14] The following account is based on my own observation of a ceremony that took place for a perahu motor at 2 pm (high tide) on a Sunday.
[15] According to Si Gunda, animals should not be sacrificed while boring the navel because that signifies death when the ritual is aimed at giving life (see Southon 1995: 104–5).
[16] This is hung inside the cabin of the boat while it is at sea, or in the owner’s house when the boat is docked. It is said that the shavings offer protection from ill fortune and can also be used as medicine for a sick crew member during a voyage.
[17] The Butonese people of Lande make very similar comparisons (Southon 1995: 119–20).
[18] In an early study of Malay ritual Endicott (1970: 65) also noted that ‘the removal of the nyawa is synonymous with death’.