Names of Contemporary Wooden Boats of Coastal East Africa: Origins and Meanings
Loading...
Date
2022-04-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
The coast of eastern Africa, commonly referred to as the Swahili coast, has a rich artisanal heritage of boats — both in their building and use. This iconic history is marked by the
presence of various boat types that have historically been used for fishing and transporting people and cargo between coastal settlements (of eastern Africa), the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Comoros, Madagascar, and other distant parts of the Indian Ocean world. Currently, the sailing boats such as the double-outrigger logboat (ngalawa),
various plank-built craft, and several other types, line the shores of Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia and the islands of Zanzibar, Mafia and the Comoros. Some of these boats, almost all locally built, have names, decorations, and engravings. However, the boats’ names, decorations and engravings alongside the conveyed message(s) have
remained undocumented. Thus, taking a maritime-heritage perspective, and by focusing on the nineteenth century historic port town of Bagamoyo in Tanzania, this paper
documents the boats’ names and the messages they carry.
Description
Keywords
Bagamoyo; boat names; maritime heritage; Kaole; Mlingotini; ngalawa
Citation
Elgidius B. Ichumbaki, Gastor Mapunda, John P. Cooper, Sinyati R. Mark, Elinaza A. Mjema, Lucy Blue & Thomas J. Biginagwa (2022): Names of Contemporary Wooden Boats of Coastal East Africa: Origins and Meanings, Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies