Traditional Fishing Watercraft of Senegal
Logan Willis
HIST 6881
Watercraft Portfolio
22 February 2022
Brief History of Watercraft
Once being the largest slave-trading center in Africa, Goree, an Island off the coast of Senegal is home to a unique and vibrant fishing vessel. The watercraft easily catches the attention of foreign spectators with its array of colors painted on the hull and two fishing platforms located on the stern and bow. The Senegalese fishing boats, or pirogues, is a radiantly hand decorated wooden vessel that mocks a canoe in shape but is intended for ocean use. Fish is the main source of protein for the Senegalese people which makes this watercraft a vital part of their culture and way of life. The expression and sense of identity hand painted individually for each vessel symbolizes the amount of personal maritime cultural identity and importance the people of Senegal place on their small watercraft.
Description of vessel
The total length of the Senegalese pirogues stretches 39 cm from bow to stern. The total length measurement of this boat model includes the fishing platforms located and attached to the bow and stern of the vessel. This wooden handcrafted fishing vessel is primarily made from mahogany and light woods with a fiberglass bottom. Each watercraft is uniquely designed by request the owner. In the model above, the hull is painted in a vibrant yellow with red and green designs. The keel is left solid green while the fishing platforms that extend from the bow and stern are painted neatly green, yellow and red. The inside of the hull remains white. The vessel is long, slender and operated traditionally by a paddle.