Makassar - Many still remember the Phinisi Nusantara, the South Sulawesi vessel famous for its voyage to Vancouver in Canada to join the International Vancouver Expo in 1986.
At the time, the ship drew a great deal of international attention because of its traditional construction and solid build, tough enough to cover 17,702 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean in 68 days.
The 120-ton wooden vessel, which is a motorized sailboat, was built in three months by a boat craftsman in Ara village in Tana Beru subdistrict, Bulukumba regency, South Sulawesi, using simple equipment -- and no blueprint.
However, the Phinisi Nusantara might not last long. After serving as a tourist ship, she later ran aground near the Thousand Islands, just off the coast of Jakarta.
The traditional masterpiece remains a part of national and international history, yet very few people even know the architect of the vessel is 64-year-old Damang Sakka.
Along with 20 workers, he assembled wooden components, piece by piece, until the ship was complete and ready to sail.
The Phinisi Nusantara bears witness to Damang`s craftsmanship and determination to preserve the region`s boat- and phinisi-making tradition.
The determination took him to the State Palace in Jakarta in 1987 to receive the Upakarti award for merit from former president Soeharto.
Back at his home in Tana Beru, Damang lamented the poor conditions the Rp 500 million (US$54,347)-worth ship had fallen into, and said it should be properly maintained as living evidence of an historic expedition.
"I`ve heard the ship is in bad shape, while it can actually become a tourist attraction or study lab for children," Damang said.
The father of four has his reasons to complain: apart from the historical value of the ship, the building process was special.
While it usually takes Damang six to eight months to construct a vessel, he completed the Phinisi Nusantara within three months, without sacrificing on quality.
The Phinisi Nusantara is one of the dozens of ships and phinisi-type ships Damang has built since he began his traditional craft in the early 1970s.
Damang is also one of the few boat builders still active in Tana Beru. Only five survived the 1998 monetary crisis that saw a reduction in orders and a rise in raw material costs.
Damang followed in the footsteps of his father and ancestors, who handed down their shipbuilding and business skills through the generations.
Before entering the trade, he worked as a phinisi boat skipper from 1960 to 1972.
"I got increasingly bored of being at sea and finally decided to start building vessels along with my father and siblings," he said.
In very little time, he learned the ins and outs of traditional sailboat building, from material selection, simple equipment application, construction without a blueprint, to the rituals required before and after the undertaking.
To increase his knowledge, he also worked as apprentice at PT Industri Kapal Indonesia (IKI), a national shipbuilding firm in Makassar.
Originally, he focused only on phinisi sailboats, but orders for other models rose -- from traditional phinisi and fishing boats, to modern cruisers and motorboats for inter-island transportation of various sizes.
Orders have come from as far away as Germany, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Papua.
On the other hand, orders for phinisi boats have decreased in number and their models modified to meet customer needs: either with sails or motorized or combined, such as the three customized units ordered by the Forestry Ministry.
However, typical phinisi features are retained while contemporary ship technology is adopted.
Damang warned phinisi shipbuilding could die out some day, with a shrinking number of craftsmen and entrepreneurs willing to risk the high costs involved.
He said builders were forced to buy wood from other regions, such as Papua and Selayar regency, South Sulawesi, at higher prices.
He added many skilled phinisi builders had been enticed to Papua, Sumatra, Kalimantan and even abroad, by the promise of better money, thus throwing into doubt the origins and heritage of the phinisi vessels they built.
Damang called on the government to grant a patent to phinisi boats as a unique product of the Tana Beru culture, and an Indonesian heritage.
"Unless patented right away, other regions or countries may claim phinisi boats as their own products because the vessels are now built there," he said.
Damang continues to pass on his knowledge and expertise to relatives and youths in Tana Beru, and employs 30 people to help preserve the phinisi shipbuilding tradition.
Some of his trainees have become independent shipbuilders, while others ply their trades in other regions and abroad.
"Everyone should be involved to maintain the glory of the phinisi tradition," Damang said. Andi Hajramurni
Source: http://old.thejakartapost.com (July 05, 2008)