"Be careful or the bogeyman will get you" is a phrase thousands, if not millions of children have heard from their parents to frighten them into good behaviour. Speak of this bogeyman and we imagine a mythical, shapeless monster, that jumps out of the wardrobe or from under the bed scaring small children, but in Indonesia, the bogeyman or “Bugis” man is real.
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| Phot from Indonesia Tourism. |
The Bugis are the predominate ethnic group on southern peninsula of Sulawesi. Also known as the Boegineezen, Buginese, To Bugi, To Ugi’ and To Wugi, they are one of the most well known sea-faring people in Southeast Asia. They have traveled widely and colonised numerous coastal areas and have a long association with piracy.
The Bugis are the master ship builders and seafarers of South Sulawesi. Their exceptionally strong pinisi schooners – upon which the design of the famous schooner Ombak Putih is based – were fashioned from the robust timbers of the islands. We have done a complete circle, completing the loop to where our adventures of sailing Indonesia emerged. But more of that later ….
These amazing timber schooners were capable of sailing vast distances and coping with the heavy seas of the region. Long before the European explorers and traders arrived in what is now called Indonesia in search of spice, the hardy Bugis people had gained prominence as one of the greatest seafaring ethnic groups in the world. In fact, they had been constructing and commanding fleets of sailing ships to support Asia’s thriving spice and cargo trade for hundreds of years before the Europeans ever arrived.
Bugis traders, travellers, pirates and sea warriors controlled the major trade routes, and were known for their fighting prowess. The Bugis also have a reputation for being pirates. The expression "the boggey man is going to get you", some say, can be traced back to the first Europeans that came to the East Indies who, like every one else in the region, feared the Bugis. Bugi pirates often plagued early English and Dutch trading ships of the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company. It is popularly believed that this resulted in the European sailors' bringing their fear of the "bugi men" back to their home countries with wild tales of the terrifying “bogeymen”.
These seafarers travelled as far south as the Australian coast where they left behind drawings of ships and words that have been integrated in the Aboriginal language of North Australia. Measuring up to 150 feet in length, they are built on top of stilts in shallow water just offshore from protected beaches around Bira. Deities are consulted about design changes, shamans help pick out the best timbers and nails and screws are not used. Instead the timbers are held together with special wooden pegs that swell when immersed in salt water. Caulking is done with a white cement made by mixing coconut oil and lime from coral over a beach bonfire.
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| You can see that this one has had its coat of caulking. |
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| Rob filming for our YouTube Episode on this incredible tribe of people and their ships |
Bugis have traditionally lived on the coast and the plains and are culturally similar to the Makassarese, who occupy the southern tip of Sulawesi peninsula where the Bugis live. But by the 16th century the Makassar challenged the Bugis for dominance of the region and prevailed by the 17th century. In 1667, the Bugis allied with the Dutch to overthrow the Makassar and established a powerful kingdom that endured through the Dutch period. During this time there was a great diaspora of Bugis, especially those who had been allies of the Makassar. The weakness of the small coastal Malay states led to the immigration of the Bugis, escaping from Dutch colonisation of Sulawesi, who established numerous settlements on the peninsula which they used to interfere with Dutch trade. They seized control of Johor following the assassination of the last Sultan of the old Malacca royal line in 1699. Bugis expanded their power in the present-day Malaysia states of Johor, Kedah, Perak, and Selangor.
Though today the fables of the mighty pirates are just that. Bugis have settled on their own or through transmigration programs all across Indonesia. They are especially well represented in eastern Sumatra, the Riau Archipelago, along the entire shore line of Sulawesi as well as coastal areas in Kalimantan, the Moluccas, Flores and most the islands in eastern Indonesia.
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| A mix of traditional methods are used to build these smaller ships, here on Pulau Bonerate |
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| Traditional ship building on Pulau Bonerate |
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| Pulau Bonerate a beautiful isolated island in the Flores Sea. |
They continue to build their beautiful pinisi ships for tourism, for trade but not for war. The main places you can see them being built still in the traditional ways is here at Bira Harbour, Tana Beru a mere 12 kilometres from here and the smaller versions on Pulau Bonerate which we visited back in September last year.
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| Ginormous bowsprits |
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| Incredible workmanship |
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| These are in the throws of being completed |
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| Elegant lines & high bows |
But back to our full circle….. in 2009 we sold our family home in Ipswich. She was a 104 year old traditional timber Queenslander. The family had all gone their own ways and we were rambling along in a home far too big for 2. Downsizing was logical and a holiday was to be organised. I had always wanted to go on a cruise, so many friends of ours loved cruising and we had never been on one. Rob on the other had hated the idea of a cruise, he couldn’t see the appeal of holidaying with 3000 of his closest new friends, lining up for buffet meals and then lining up to see a prearranged tours.
So a compromise was found a cruise that took us through the exotic islands of Indonesia with 22 other guests on a luxury pinisi schooner called Ombak Putih. It was one of the most amazing experiences we have had. We of course had been to Bali, we had been to Indonesia! Well no we hadn’t, this trip on Ombak Putih, opened our eyes to the true Indonesia. At night we would sit up on her mighty bowsprit and talk about how we could afford to travel to exotic places like this, because surely there were more out there to be discovered.
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| Ombak Putih When we sailed on her in 2009 |
Ombak Putih was built right here in Bira Harbour, she was one of the originals built in the traditional way for the tourism market, 12 luxury ensuite cabins catering for only 24 guests. As a traditional pinisi-style ship she was built in the sturdy and efficient way that ironwood ships have been built for hundreds of years on the islands surrounding Sulawesi. The most remarkable thing about Ombak Putih and her sister-ships is that these huge handmade wooden structures are made without any drawings, fully relying on the intuitive craftsmanship of its builders as passed along through many generations.
One year after construction started, six men started digging. In Batulicin, boats are not towed into the water. Instead, men dig away the soil underneath, thus creating a small canal out of which the boat is eventually pulled. On May 27, 1997, the Ombak Putih was launched, complete with the Buginese tradition of a goat being ritually sacrificed and its blood scattered over various important places of the ship.
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| Just been launched and ready to be towed around to the Harbour to be completed |
The name Ombak Putih, means “white wave” in Bahasa Indonesia and is quite the appropriate name as she effortlessly glides through the waters making many memories and dreams come true. And there is the full circle, unbeknown to her, she is the reason we are sitting here today in Bira Harbour.
Unbeknown to her she started a dream to sail these waters, so maybe the “Boogeyman did get us”
Photos from 2009 if you would like to see where this adventure took us over the past 15 years jump on over to the contents page where you can find sailing adventures from Australia, SE Asia, the Mediterranean and lots of how we did it DIY’s.
▶️ http://dreamtimesail.blogspot.com/p/index.html
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| Rob diving from the bowsprit |
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| This is the seat that a lot of dreams were thought of |
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| Anchored in Komodo National Park |
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| Beautiful under sail |
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| One of our secret spots |
Thanks for catching our latest Blog, cheers R&K
If you would like to see the moving pictures our YouTube Channel has Episode #113 ready for your viewing at https://tinyurl.comDreamtimeSailEp113
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We found paradise but we may never leave as our anchor is stuck solid. You can watch it here. 👉 http://tinyurl.com/DreamtimeSailEp87
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