SURVIVAL of a TRADITIONAL CARIB WATERCRAFT DESIGN ELEMENT 75 Richard Callaghan
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___________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter: SURVIVAL OF A TRADITIONAL CARIB WATERCRAFT DESIGN ELEMENT 75 Richard Callaghan _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 'XULQJLQYHVWLJDWLRQVRIWUDGLWLRQDOZDWHUFUDIWLQWKH8SSHU2ULQRFRUHJLRQRI9HQH]XHODDQXQXVXDOHOHPHQWRIKXOOGHVLJQ ZDVUHFRUGHG7KLVHOHPHQWLVDVPDOOVNHJRU¿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xRGHQDYHVWUDGLFLRQDOHVHQODUHJLyQGHO2ULQRFRDOWRGH9HQH]XHODVHUHJLVWUy 739 XQHOHPHQWRH[FHSFLRQDOHQHOGLVHxRGHORVFDVFRV(VWHHOHPHQWRHVXQDDOHWDFRQHFWDGRKDFLDODSRSDGHODVFDQRDV SHTXHxDV8QHOHPHQWRVLPLODUVHHQFXHQWUDHQHOGLVHxRGHXQDVQDYHVWUDGLFLRQDOHVHQ0DUWLQLFD\SRGUtDUHSUHVHQWDUXQD SDUWHGHXQDGLVWULEXFLyQPiVJUDQGHHQHOSDVDGR/RVLQIRUPDQWHVGHO2ULQRFRDOWRGLMHURQTXHHOHOHPHQWRDOOtHVGHJUDQ DQWLJHGDG(OHOHPHQWRVLUYHSDUDRULHQWDUODFDQRDHQHODJXDWXUELD\ORVUiSLGRV3DUHFHLPSUREDEOHTXHHOHOHPHQWR VHDGHRULJHQHXURSHRSRUTXHORVHOHPHQWRVSDUHFLGRVQRIXHURQGHVDUUROODGRVHQ(XURSDKDVWDHO¿QGHOVLJORGLHFLQXHYH 7DPSRFRHVSUREDEOHTXHVHDXQDHYROXFLyQGHORVGLVHxRVEUDVLOHxRVMDQJDGDQLGHGLVHxRVQRUWHDPHULFDQRV 3HQGDQWOHVUHFKHUFKHVHIIHFWXpHVVXUXQHHPEDUFDWLRQWUDGLWLRQQHOOHGHODUpJLRQVXSpULHXUHGHO¶2UpQRTXHDX9HQH]XHOD XQpOpPHQWSHXFRPPXQGHFRQFHSWLRQGHFRTXHDpWpREVHUYp&HWpOpPHQWHVWXQHSHWLWHFURVVHRXDLOHURQDWWDFKpYHUVOD SRXSHGHVSHWLWVFDQRsV2QWURXYHXQpOpPHQWVHPEODEOHGDQVODFRQFHSWLRQGHFHUWDLQHVHPEDUFDWLRQVWUDGLWLRQQHOOHVj OD0DUWLQLTXHHWFHODSHXWUHSUpVHQWHUODSDUWLHG¶XQHGLVWULEXWLRQSDVVpHEHDXFRXSSOXVODUJH'HVWpPRLJQDJHVYHQDQWGH O¶2UpQRTXHVXSpULHXUODLVVHQWjSHQVHUTXHFHWpOpPHQWHVWFRQVLGpUDEOHPHQWDQWLTXH/¶pOpPHQWIRQFWLRQQHSRXURULHQWHU OHFDQRsGDQVOHVFRXUDQWVHWOHVUDSLGHV,OVHPEOHSHXSUREDEOHTXHO¶pOpPHQWVRLWG¶RULJLQHHXURSpHQQHFDUGHVpOpPHQWV VHPEODEOHVQ¶RQWSDVpWpGpYHORSSpHQ(XURSHDYDQWOD¿QGXGL[QHXYLqPHVLqFOH,OHVWpJDOHPHQWLPSUREDEOHTX¶LOVRLW XQGpYHORSSHPHQWGHVFRQFHSWLRQVEUpVLOLHQQHVGHMDQJDGDRXGHVFRQFHSWLRQVQRUGDPpULFDLQHV _ The Carib Skeg Design In 1996 while conducting ethnographic research on traditional watercraft in the Upper Orinoco region of Venezuela, I traveled to the village of Esmeralda a Ye’Kwana settlement (Figure 1). The Ye’Kwana are a Carib-speaking group noted for the quality of manufacture of their canoes. The Ye’Kwana are the only group in the area who regularly travel across watersheds and it is considered a status symbol to own one if you belong to another group. Although the canoes of many of the nearby groups are RIQHDUO\LGHQWLFDOVW\OHWRWKRVHRIWKH<H¶.ZDQDWKHLUFDQRHVFDQRIWHQEHLGHQWL¿HGVLPSO\E\WKH skill of manufacture. During the dry season in particular it is necessary to travel through rapids as Esmeralda is near the headwaters of the Orinoco and crossing watersheds places the Ye’Kwana on headwaters of adjacent rivers where rapids are prevalent. When I pulled a small canoe from the area out of the water to photograph it, I was surprised WRVHHDVPDOOVNHJRU¿QWRZDUGVWKHVWHUQRIWKHYHVVHO )LJXUH ,KDGQRWVHHQWKLVGHYLFHEHIRUH on the Orinoco or for that matter anywhere in the circum-Caribbean region. I enquired if this device ZDVWUDGLWLRQDODQGZDVDVVXUHGWKDWLWZDVWKRXJK,FRXOGQRW¿QGDQ\RQHZKRFRXOGJLYHPHDQLGHD of its precise antiquity. The response I received as to the function of the device was that it aided in running rapids and in other rough water conditions. I did not observe the skeg on larger canoes. This was probably because the larger vessels now have a truncated stern to accommodate outboard motors, which have their own skeg attached. An interesting aspect of the skeg is its method of attachment. Despite that today iron nails are readily available wooden pegs are still used. Iron nails tend to make the wood surrounding them deteriorate. Also if the skeg is broken off in rapids one can easily be fashioned and attached in most locations. Design Comparisons 7KH-DQJDGD I wondered if the skeg might not be an introduction based on an European or recent North American design. One possibility that I entertained was that it was somehow related to the dagger boards used to steer the Brazilian MDQJXDGDsailing raft (Edwards 1965). There is, of course, fairly easy contact into the Bazilian Amazon through the Casiquiare Canal and the Rio Negro from the Upper Orinoco. The MDQJXDGD is in part controlled by a centerboard, a device reminiscent of the Carib skeg. Edwards (1965) concluded that the MDQJXDGD was introduced into the Amazon by the Portuguese probably from southern India, where such devices are common, rather than being an offshoot of the Ecuadorian balsa 740 sailing raft. The balsa raft uses multiple dagger boards to steer. One reason for his conclusion was that there is no mention of the MDQJXDGD in historic literature until long after the Portuguese were moving up the Amazon. I do not think that this can be the origin of the skeg as the two devices have somewhat GLIIHUHQWSXUSRVHVDQGWKHUHVHPEODQFHLVVXSHU¿FLDO 7KH5DFLQJ<DFKW I then considered the possibility that the skeg was somehow related to the keel on a racing yacht. The modern racing yacht keel that resembles the skeg on the Carib canoes was developed during the 19th century and even the center-board was not introduced until around 1815 (Baader 1965: 21–26). $OWKRXJKWKHUHLVDVXSHU¿FLDOUHVHPEODQFHEHWZHHQWKHWZRGHYLFHVLWLVGLI¿FXOWWRLPDJLQHZKHUHD people living in the Upper Orinoco would have seen a modern yacht keel. For one thing, a deep keel is not suited for the relatively shallow waters of the region where shifting sandbars are a seasonal problem. It is conceivable that some Caribs observed the keel when traveling to the coast, which they DUHNQRZQWRKDYHGRQHDWDQHDUO\GDWHEXWLIWKHLUVNHJKDVDQ\UHDODQWLTXLW\LWFDQQRWKDYHEHHQ inspired by a yacht keel. Further the purpose is again somewhat different. 7KH6XUIERDUG 0RUHRQDZKLPWKDQH[SHFWLQJWR¿QGDUHDOFRQQHFWLRQ,ORRNHGDWWKHVNHJVIRXQGRQVXUIERDUGV Some of these are virtually identical to those on the Carib canoes (Figure 3). Surfboards have been used in Hawaii for centuries (Franklin and Pepin 2002). The original design did not include a skeg. 7KHGHYLFHRQVXUIERDUGVLVYHU\UHFHQW,WZDV¿UVWGHYHORSHGE\7RP%ODNHLQ3ULRUWR%ODNH¶V innovations, traditional surfboards were very large and heavy. They also had a tendency to become waterlogged quickly. Along with making surfboards smaller and lighter Blake introduced the skeg. ,WVIXQFWLRQZDVWRHQDEOHWKHVXUIHUVWRWUDFNDQGSLYRWPRUHHI¿FLHQWO\,WDOVRJLYHVWKHERDUGPRUH lateral stability. Such boards were introduced to Peruvian surfers shortly after their development as Blake published his design widely. While the surfboard skeg does show up in South America soon after its development, it does not seem a likely inspiration for the Carib design. For one thing, you do not see many surfers on the Upper Orinoco but more to the point if there is any antiquity to the Carib design, the surfboard skeg is far too recent. Its function though is notable here. 7KH ODWHUDO VWDELOLW\ RU VWDELOLW\ DURXQG WKH ORQJLWXGLQDO D[LV WKDW WKH ¿Q RU VNHJ JLYHV LV important. When a vessel is moving through the water with the waves behind it the water within the waves has an orbital motion (Garrett 1987: 189–193). This causes the vessel to orient itself parallel to the waves. If not countered, the vessel will broach turning onto its side and capsizing. This will happen with either wind-driven waves or waves created in rapids. The skeg itself helps to prevent broaching and ultimately capsizing. Another advantage is that it produces dynamic positive stability which returns the vessel to its original position. Further, increasing lateral stability helps to prevent a YHVVHOIURPVKLIWLQJSRVLWLRQZKHQZLQGJXVWVDUHDWULJKWDQJOHVWRWKHORQJLWXGLQDOD[LV 7KH<ROH In a recent paper published in the Mariner’s Mirror, Michael Doran (2002) discusses the Martiniquan \ROHIURPWKH/HVVHU$QWLOOHV )LJXUH 7KHVHDUHYHU\HI¿FLHQWUDFLQJYHVVHOVFDSDEOHRIDWRSVSHHG of 14 knots (Figure 5). They also have considerable ability to sail into the wind. This is surprising, as they do not have keels or leeboards. It is rather the technique of sailing that allows such performance. The interesting aspect of the \ROH here is that it does have a small skeg, although one that differs in shape from the Upper Orinoco Carib design. Doran (2002) considers whether or not the \ROH design might be of European origin. He points 741 out that its design is very different from French sailed workboats that have been used in the recent SDVW+HDOVRH[DPLQHVWKHZRUG\ROHLWVHOIIRUD(XURSHDQFRQQHFWLRQ$OWKRXJKKH¿QGVWKDWWKH\ROH is translated in dictionaries as skiff, it in no way resembles a skiff. There is a vessel called a \ROH in the 2UNQH\,VODQGVEXWDJDLQLWLVDYHU\GLIIHUHQWYHVVHO )XUWKHUKHH[DPLQHVWKHSRVVLEOH link between the word \ROH and \DZO concluding that \DZO may simply be a generic Western European term for “a small open vessel that can be rowed or sailed” (2002: 439). This really sheds no light on the origin of the \ROH. Where things become interesting is his comparative analysis of the Martinique \ROH and the Dominican gommier,QH[DPLQLQJWKHOLQHVRIWKHWZRYHVVHOVKH¿QGVDUHPDUNDEOHFRUUHVSRQGHQFH The \ROH appears to be a plank built