Traditional boats - international network
Norway, as in other seafaring countries, traditional crafts and knowledge associated with shipping and fishing have played a central role for several thousand years. Within boatbuilding, proximity to the natural infrastructure has always been central. The boatbuilder personally searches for the trees he requires in the forest and places great demands on the quality of the material. The accumulated knowledge that such traditions represent has intrinsic value as culture.
We want to focuse on the following:
a) Preservation of traditional boatbuilding as a living craft
In some countries boatbuilding is in danger of disappearing. Our aim is the protection and passing on of craft skills. As part of this initiative, we want to work for establishing boatbuilding as a part of Unesco`s convention for "Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage" in a global context. Norway and several countries have accepted the convention.
Some examples of intangible cultural heritage are traditional crafts and skills, such as building boats and homes, fishnet making, storytelling, and singing. These are activities local coastal communities worldwide identify as valuable, And are activities that are learnt in social practise and passed on from person to person, from generation to generation.
b) Cultural heritage through activity
Without people to use the boats it does not make sense to preserve the boats and the crafts. We want to promote sailing and rowing of traditional boats, which incidentally also is environmental friendly tourism. In some countries traditional boats are still in use a part of the local economy.
With this initiative, we want to establish and expand our network for preserving traditional boats world over by inviting you. Be a member of the network! And of course, lets create meetingplaces on the coasts.
Do you want to be a part of this network? Contact: Tore Friis-Olsen, e-mail: tore@kysten.no. Or join our Facebook group.
Photo gallery
Dhow from Zanzibar.
Rolf Trygve Leirvik has started to build a "Geitbåt" in a boathouse. The
cutting of base boards for the boat are in principle formed like a sculpture.
The method of cutting means that the craftsman are not bound by the
mechanics of the sawn board. Photo: Tore Friis-Olsen.
"Geitbåt" from Nordmøre, West Norway. Photo: Geitbåtmuseet.