What is a pirogue?
The pirogue, locally known as pirog, was once the most popular small fishing boat or canoe in the Seychelles. It was easy to maneuver while fishing on the reefs and shallow waters and landing on the beaches because it has no keel and both stern and bow are pointed. It was made of takamaka wood (Calophyllum inophyllum), painted black and trimmed in white, with a length varying from five to twelve meters. The word pirog is derived from French ‘pirogue’ which in turn is derived from Spanish ‘piragua’ which comes from the Carib ‘piraua’.
Old Photo Showing a Pirogue at Anse aux Pins, Mahe Island, with Fish Traps
Pirogue in the early years
In the early days of settlement, the pirogues, apart from being extensively used for fishing, were used as a means of communication and of transportation of goods between the villages. It was easier to travel by pirogues than to walk, as described by Theophile Frappaz – 1818, ‘The colonists usually communicate amongs themselves by pirogues, the road being so bad…’
Launching the pirogue
The pirogue was usually kept under a shed, locally known as ‘ langar’ (Fr. hangar) under the palm trees above high tide level.
Pirogues Resting on Rollers under Thatched Shed at Anse Kerlan, Praslin Island
It was taken to the sea on rollers that were pushed under it. A minimum of two rollers were usually used. If the sand was too soft, then the oars were placed under the rollers to prevent them from sinking into the sand. When the pirogue got to the edge of the water the rollers were shouldered back to the shed to be used again when the fisherman came back from fishing.
Propelling the Pirogue
In shallow water the pirogue was propelled forward by long poles usually made from bamboo, called gal, and in deeper water oars or zaviron (fr. aviron) or paddle or pagay (fr. pagaie) were used. When a fisherman is alone, he would sit in the middle of the pirogue, facing the back, and row using two oars, one in each hand. This action is locally called naz akoup (fr. nage en couple). The oars are usually smaller than the pagay and are called zaviron akpoup.
Fishermen with ‘gal’ at the back, and ‘pagay’ in front
Since the advent of petrol outboard engines, pirogues have gradually disappeared from use and the one or two that are still around have had their aft, or the back end, cut off to accommodate outboard engines!! Sadly, this post will be in the past tense!
Photo of a Pirogue with a Sawn Off Aft
Types of pirogues
There are basically three types of pirogues that were in use in the Seychelles. They were the pirog koko, pirog kasier and pirog torti.
Pirog koko
This was the largest of all pirogues. It was deep and built to carry husked coconuts from the smaller inner islands to the main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue where the calorifers were located.
A Pirogue Koko Being Rolled out to Sea
Because it was a heavy pirogue, it had many rowers who would row standing up and at times seated if the pirogue was empty. It would even have two people at the back to maneuver the two oars that were used as rudders. They were called the patron.
Pirogue Koko With Two ‘Patrons’
Pirog kazie
This was the most popular type of pirogue used by fishermen to set their fish traps within the reefs. They were also frequently used for fishing outside the reef. Sometimes, they would have a makeshift sail made out of whatever cloth the fisherman could get hold of, including gouni or gunny bags and twalekri (Fr. toile écrue) or even a coconut leaf.
A Pirogue with sail on Grand Anse Praslin Beach with the Baleiniere and Ero in the Background
The pirogue is technically not meant to be sailed as it has no keel and therefore tends to drift more than a boat with keel, and that is why when entering through a pass the sail would always be dropped, minimising the possibility of the pirogue drifting on to the reef.
Pirog Kazye with Fisherman loading the Bamboo Fish Traps- Kazye
Pirog torti
This pirogue was purposely built to have a wide body in order to comfortably accommodate harpooned mature turtles. It was built low so that the process of pulling a turtle in was made less arduous. Most of the time it had no benches in the middle because this would obstruct the placement of the turtle. They were used mainly in the outlying islands where turtles were harvested to be sent to Mahé for sale.
A Pirogue Torti
How was the pirogue built?
I will try my best here to describe the steps that were taken to build a pirogue. I am being guided here by my vague recollection as a young boy who grew up on Praslin Island where many pirogues were built and therefore look forward to any contribution that will make this post more accurate and comprehensive.
Choose a tree to build the base or bottom
In the early days when hard wood trees were abundant and very large, the whole pirogue was carved from the tree trunk. However, as time went by, all the large trees were cut down and turned into planks to be exported to Mauritius and used locally in boat building. Consequently, only the base or bottom of the pirogue was made from a whole piece of solid tree trunk and the sides were made of planks.
The first step was to locate the tree from which the bottom could be carved. The trees used for the bottom were the takamaka and the badamier, although the badamier tends to rot quicker.
The takamaka (calophyllum inophyllum) is a tree that grows along the lower plateau and shoreline of all the islands. The name could have derived from the word tacamahac which is a word used for any of the several resinous substances used in incense or ointments. The tree does in fact produce a very thick resin or sticky latex, locally known as lakol takamaka, that was also used to caulk pirogues. The badamier tree (Terminalia Catappa) also known as Indian Almond tree also grows along the coast.
The size of the tree that was chosen depended on the type of pirogue to be built. Building a pirogue for harpooning turtles required a large tree that will eventually give a wide base. It is also important to have tree with trunks that are straight and have very few branches and minimum defects. Every branch will create a point of weakness in the base. It is also critical that when the tree was cut it was made to fall on the good side. i.e, the side that will eventually become the base of the pirogue.
Shape the base
Once the tree was cut, the whole trunk was cleaned of branches and the bark was removed. Before it was carried to the ‘workshop’ it had to be made as light as possible. Usually, the top third of the trunk was cut off with an axe and discarded and the remaining part of the trunk was roughly shaped with an axe and a cavity was dug on top along the length of the flat top.
The cavity was dug by an adze or lerminet (Fr. herminettes) or was even at times burnt. The adze is a tool similar to an axe and has an arched blade at right angle to the handle. Another tool that was used was the gouge, or gouz, which is a type of chisel with a concave blade. If any burning had to be carried out, it was carefully watched and controlled. When the base was sufficiently burnt, the digging process was finished by the use of the adze.
Drag the base closer to the shore
Once the trunk was made sufficiently light, it was then dragged to the workshop which was usually under a shed close to the shore. The dragging involved the men from the village, and it was facilitated by rollers made from smaller branches on the same tree. The trunk was placed on the rollers and pulled along with the back rollers, once not under the trunk, transferred to the front and the process was repeated until the trunk got to the workshop. Once at the workshop, it was allowed to season for a few weeks before any further work was done on it. During that time, to minimize the splitting of the timber, it was kept away from direct sunlight or even covered with coconut leaves.
Form the Base
Once the trunk was deemed ready for the next phase, it was turned upside down so that work could start on forming the base of the pirogue. This was done with an adze as well as a smoothing plane or galer. The bottom was flattened. It is worth noting here that the pirogue is a flat bottom vessel. Once this was done the base was turned the right way up and the cavity was dug further until the right thickness of the bottom hull was achieved.
As already mentioned, in most cases the carved base was not wide enough. The carpenters would saw the base in half, from front to back giving two identical pieces. Then a large plank or madrie of a similar timber would be chosen that was inserted and secured between the two cut pieces thus enlarging the base.
This Photo Illustrates How the Base of the Pirogue was Built
Then, with the help of a chalked or charcoal plumbed line, a line was drawn horizontally along the base to mark where the cut had to be made and from where the planking would start. Remember the tree trunk forms only the base of the pirogue.
The base of the pirogue must be thick because it was very prone to hitting corals when the tide was low and also because it suffered from a lot of abrasion when dragged in the sand.
It is worth mentioning here that at time when there was no takamaka tree, or badamier tree of the correct size, some pirogue base was built from thick wooden planks known as madriye (Fr. madrier).
Fix the ribs, stems and hull
Once the base was cut and smoothened, timber ribs that will support the planks were strategically screwed in the base. Then the stems were screwed and glued to each end of the base. The ribs and the stems were chosen from branches that have a natural curve. This gives more strength to the frame as well as acting as footrests or kalpie ( Fr. cale-pieds) when rowing.
The next phase is the fixing of the planks to the ribs and stems to form the hull or borde. Copper nails were used for this task. There were two methods used. The original and most widely used method was where plank edges were butted smoothly seam to seam, is known as carvel method or franbor (Fr. fran-bord) giving a smooth finish. The other method was the clinker method or aklen (fr. à clin) where the top plank overlaps the bottom plank.
Stem and stem head
The stem at both stern and bow ends of the pirogue always projected above the level of the hull and these gave the pirogue its uniquely distinctive look. They are called ‘latet pirog’ or stem heads
Fix the gunwale and associated parts
Once the hull has reached the designated height, then the gunwale or bouden (Fr. boudin) was fixed on both sides of the pirogue. The bouden is derived from the French word ‘boudin’ meaning sausage, due to its round finishing. This gives the pirogue the required stiffness. Then all the wooden cleats are placed at predetermined spot on the gunwale, followed by the block that will hold the thole, or tole (Fr. tolet). The block has a hole drilled in it and this holds the thole, or tole, in place. The thole is a vertical wooden peg or pin which is inserted through the gunwale to form a fulcrum for the oars when rowing.
Photo Showing the Gunwale, or ‘Boudin’, Thole Block and Thole, or ‘Tole,’ and Oar Hoops, or ‘Lestrop’
A small pirogue usually has a minimum of one thole on each side as well as one at the back. Larger pirogues would have more. The back one was used when the oar was converted to a rudder or gouvernay (Fr. gouvernail) when the pirogue is under sail or, as was the case with big pirogues that used to go between inner islands, when a patron or gouverner (Fr. gouverneur) was needed when approaching a shore that has no reef and when the waves are big. It was also used if the person in the pirogue wanted to scull, or godiye (Fr. godiller), the pirogue instead of rowing. There were no rowlocks then instead a hoop, locally known as lestrop (Fr. estrope), made from rope was used to hold the oar to the thole.
Fix the frame for the thwart and benches
The next step was to fix the frame for the thwart and benches. The frames were screwed horizontally on the ribs in the sides of the hull. The thwarts are struts that are screwed on to the frames and serve three purposes. They act as cross-braces as well as benches for rowing and for holding the mast upright.
The thwart that holds the mast had a hole in the middle through which the mast was inserted and immediately underneath the bench, on the floor, was a wooden block with a hole in it. This is where the base of the mast would sit. The rower’s bench sat in a slot cut into the frames. This bench is usually removed when not required. This bench is mainly used when fishing. It is difficult to stand in pirogue as you can easily lose your balance and as you have nothing to hold on to, you could easily end up overboard.
Fix the Breast hooks or Tyak
The breast hooks or tyak, was then fixed. They were small triangular pieces of wood that were attached to the gunnels. One was fixed at the bow and one at the stern of the pirogue and looked like two mini decks. Their main purpose was to strengthen the bow and stern of the pirogue. This was also where the fisherman would stand when harpooning and when he was watching for coral heads in shallow water. Underneath the front tyak, a removable triangular piece was placed, and this is called the fo tyak. Tyak is derived from an old French word ‘tillac’ meaning an upper deck or, sometimes used in the sense of floor for a boat
Fix of the ‘Fargue’
Photo showing the ‘Fargue’
Then the fargue was added. These are the two front pieces at the bow, fixed to the gunwale to raise its height so as to minimise the waves entering the boat. They were usually painted white. Located at the very front of the fargue, is the ‘tableau’ on which the pirogue’s name is written.
Fairing and caulking of the Hull
The last piece of major work involved the fairing of the hull. Fairing is a process of smoothing out the hull to give it a smoother (fair) appearance. When the hull is viewed from either end, there should be no visible bumps or depressions. This was usually done with the use of a planner or a rabot. Once this is completed, the caulking process starts. Caulking or galfete (Fr. calfater) is the process of sealing all the cracks and gaps in the hull of the pirogue. This is achieved by driving fibrous materials into the cracks and between seams in the planks. Sometimes a tar mixture is used as well as the resin of the takamaka tree.
The last touch
The pirogue was then painted black, with the gunnel painted white.
Equipping the Pirogue
The pirogue is now ready to be equipped for fishing. It will be equipped with:
Zaviron– a large oar used for rowing
Pagaille– paddle- used standing up
Kokosye or Bailler, the water was usually bailed out by means of a bailer made out from a single lob of the coco de mer nut that has been sawn horizontally in half, locally known a kokosye (Fr. coco scié).
The Bailler Made from a cut lob of the Coco-de-Mer Nut, or Kokosye.
Lank ek lakord– the anchor and rope. The anchor was usually a rock securely tied to the anchor line.
Lavoil– a sail- The sail was rarely used on the pirogue because it was not built to be sailed. It has no keel and consequently tends to drift.
Gal– a long bamboo pole to propel the pirogue in shallow water.
Ma– mast. In most cases the pole-gal– also doubled up as mast.
Bouson– The plug. At the base of the pirogue a small hole was drilled to allow water to drain when the pirogue was being washed. The bouson, usually made out of coconut husk was used to plug the drain hole before the pirogue was launched.
Some terminology associated with the Pirogue
Godiye, derived from the French word ‘godiller’, meaning to scull. This was when the oar was temporarily mounted at the stern of the pirogue and moved left and right to propel the pirogue forward.
Met dan bannan– using the oar as a rudder to guide a pirogue to shore, while surfing on a wave. This was where most drowning accidents used to happen on some islands. Usually occurred when the size of a wave was misjudged. Another term that was used for surfing a wave was ‘anmar laroul‘.
Vey lanbeli-(fr. profiter d’un embellie) to wait and look for the opportune time to cross a reef or to land the pirogue on the beach. Sometimes the patron would count waves and would give the go ahead after the seventh wave, where they reckon there was always a short clear spell lull or a short temporary calm between the waves. Patron is the person who is in charge and who usually is the person who stands at the back and steering the pirogue.
Katyolo ek Saloup
Two other canoes that existed when I was a young boy were the katyolo and saloup.
KATYOLO
Old photo showing Pirogues and a Katiolo at Cerf Island
Another traditional type of canoe is the katyolo, which has a narrow beam and a slightly curved shape. These are smaller boats than the pirogue, only about four meters in length, again built from takamaka wood and usually painted in bright colours, in contrast to the black and white pirogue. The popularity of the katyolo has also diminished. But in the days when the roads on Mahe and Praslin were non-existent or very rough, these boats were the main transport between Victoria and outlying villages.
SALOUP
A saloup
As a young boy growing up on Praslin, I used to enjoy fishing inside the reef in a small saloup, (Fr. chaloupe) that was given to me by one of my uncles. The saloup was a clinkerbuilt small boat, about 2-metre-long, that were used on almost all the schooners. They were used as lifeboats, for transporting people and goods to and from the shore as well as for any other small tasks and duties that required only a small number of people and did not need to use larger boats.
Any suggestions or comments about this post?
We welcome any suggestions or comments that will make this post more comprehensive. Please leave your comments below:
