PINISI SHIP

Pinisi is a traditional Indonesian sailing ship, originating from Bugis from South Sulawesi province. This ship has two main screen poles and seven screens, three on the front end, two on the front, and two at the rear of the ship. seven screens have the meaning that the ancestors of the Indonesian people were able to navigate seven great oceans in the world. Pinisi or sometimes written by Phinisi for centuries has traveled the sea to Malacca, Burma, Vietnam and Australia.

Bugis people are known to make ships and are strong sailors. Pinisi ships have taken them sailing to distant regions in the archipelago, and even many of them later settled in Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua and the Nusa Tenggara Islands. Bugis are not only respected as sea experts but also very feared as pirates.

According to the mythology of the Tanah Beru people in South Sulawesi, the beginning of the creation of the pinisi ship was when their ancestors made a larger boat to sail the ocean. the boat will be used to carry merchandise, and also to catch fish. The first boat was finished and taken to sail across the sea. But the waves and the storm slammed the boat and destroyed it. part of the boat body was stranded in Ara Hamlet, part of the screen at Tanjung Bira, while the contents were stranded in Tanah Lemo.

The incident was considered a symbolic message that the third community of the place had to work together to conquer the sea. residents of Ara Village specialize as boat makers. Bira people master astrology and natural signs. While Lemo people become entrepreneurs who provide capital for boat making, and use it. the task sharing tradition lasted for years and in the end they made a traditional wooden boat called Pinisi.

From time to time, pinisi has been made in various sizes in the traditional way. In the past, pinisi made tend to be smaller, but it is not uncommon to find pinisi ships measuring 30-40 meters long, and sometimes even about 50 meters (approaching 165 feet on deck) or larger.

since the mid-19th century, this ship has been made and used by Bugis sailors to carry cargo between 17,000 islands in Indonesia. By utilizing seasonal monsoons, they sail westward for 6 months and then return to the East for the rest of the year.

Pinisi manufacture is quite unique, the first wood cutting is done by Panrita Lopi (expert or boat handler). Then, the wooden planks are installed one by one to form the ship.

After half-finished, the frame is installed according to the shape and arch of the wood that has been installed. Another uniqueness of making pinisi is that they do not use nails to attach the body of the ship to its frame, but instead use wood waste from the manufacture of the ship.

There are also rituals that accompany the process of making Pinisi ships. begins with a keel cutting ceremony (a beam that extends in the bottom of the boat) led by Panrita Lopi.

The offerings that are a ritual requirement must also be available, in the form of sweet snacks and a healthy white rooster. sweet snacks as a symbol so that boat owners get a lot of profits. The blood of a white rooster is applied to the boat's keel as a symbol of hope that no blood will be spilled on the boat to be made.

the ceremony then continued with the headman who cut the two ends off and gave the pieces to the leader of the boat. The front end of the keel was thrown into the sea as a symbol of hope that the boat could merge with the waves in the ocean.

while the rear end of the keel was thrown ashore as a symbol that even though the boat sailed far into the ocean but would eventually return safely to the mainland. The ceremony will end with a prayer to the Creator which is also done by Panrita Lopi.

the price of each pinisi ship is determined by the size and shape of the ship, as well as the material to be used. Usually the ships ordered for cruise ships with a larger size cost billions of rupiah. making one pinisi ship takes a period of one to two years with workers or called mustard as many as 10 people. They are led by retainer or chief laborer.