''Ipanitika'', also known as ''chinedkulan'' (also spelled ''chinedkelan'' or ''chinurikuran''), are traditional fishing boats of the

Tao people The Tao people ( Yami: Tao no pongso) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the tiny outlying Orchid Island of Taiwan. They have a maritime culture, with great ritual and spiritual significance placed on boat-building and fishing. Their way ...

Orchid Island Orchid Island, known as Pongso no Tao by the indigenous inhabitants, is a volcanic island located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, the island and the nearby are governed by Taiwan as in Taitung County, which is one of the county's two ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. They are around and can carry up to 10 to 14 people. Smaller versions of the ''ipanitika'' is known as the ''tatara'' or ''tatala'', which are around long and can carry at least 2 people. They were propelled by oars mounted on a row of rope-wrapped posts that are slotted into a shelf built into the hull of the boat.

Description

''ipanitika'' were traditionally used for voyages to the

Batanes Islands Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes (; ilocano language, Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; , ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley regions of the Philippines, region. It is the n ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to trade with the closely related

Ivatan people The Ivatan people are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group native to the Batanes and Babuyan Islands of the northernmost Philippines. They are genetically closely related to other ethnic groups in Northern Luzon, but also share close linguis ...

. The smaller tatara were used for catching seasonal schools of

flying fish The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...

that arrive from March to June. The launching of ''ipanitika'' and ''tatara'' during flying fish season is still celebrated annually by the Tao people. ''Ipanitika'' and ''tatara'' were built using the lashed-lug techniques unique to

Austronesian peoples The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Southeast Asia, parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melan ...

, with ''ipanitika'' usually having four

strake On a vessel's Hull (watercraft), hull, a strake is a longitudinal course of Plank (wood), planking or Plate (metal), plating which runs from the boat's stem (ship), stempost (at the Bow (ship), bows) to the stern, sternpost or transom (nautica ...

s, and tatara having three. Boat construction involved numerous rituals, celebrations, special clothing, and feasting. Wood used to build them must also be taken directly from living trees, as it was taboo to use dead wood on any part of the boat. ''ipanitika'' and tatara have sharply upturned extensions at the prows and sterns, giving the ship a crescent-shaped profile similar to the

karakoa ''Karakoa'' were large outrigger warships from the Philippines. They were used by native Filipinos, notably the Kapampangans and the Visayans, during seasonal sea raids. ''Karakoa'' were distinct from other traditional Philippine sailing vesse ...

and kora kora of the

and the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...

, and the

tomako Tomako or tomoko is a large war canoe from the Solomon Islands. The name "tomako" is used in New Georgia in the Roviana language. It is also known as magoru in Marovo, niabara in Vella Lavella, mon in Bougainville, ora in Makira, and iola or ...

of the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. Like the latter ships, they were kept in special boathouses when not in use. They are traditionally painted with patterns in white, red, and black, made from lime, red soil, and soot, respectively. They have sun-shaped designs called ''mata-no-tatara'' that symbolize eyes at both the front and rear ends of the boat, as well as intricate borders made of repeating patterns of geometric shapes. They also have human-shaped ornaments known as the ''moron-no-tatara'' decorated with black chicken feathers at the bow and stern posts. The same shape is also painted on the sides of the boat. These represent Magomaog, a legendary character in Tao folklore that taught them the art of boat-building. ''Moron-no-tatara'' are only affixed during certain rituals.

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References

{{Fishing vessel topics Indigenous boats Taiwanese aboriginal culture and history

Description

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References