Technological Adaptation in the Transformation of Traditional Boats in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi

Abstract

Although traditional boats and boatbuilding techniques in Indonesia have drawn scholarly attention, attempts to analyze the technological development in wooden boatbuilding have been rarely made. After the introduction of modern technologies such as engines and western hulls in the 1970s, wooden boats have experienced rapid technological changes in which a combination of traditional and modern techniques can be observed. Based on a new typology of present boats in the Spermonde Archipelago, one of the important maritime regions in Indonesia, this study analyzed the transformation process of wooden boats in the second half of the 20th century, in which modern technology played an important role, in order to understand the technological adaptation of the local people to the changing circumstances. The study was conducted through literature surveys, interviews with local people, and observation and measurements of the boats, and revealed that the modern technologies were effectively adopted and combined into the local people"s existing knowledge system.