Trepanging is the act of collection or harvesting ofsea cucumbers, known inIndonesian astrepang,Malay těripang, andused as food.
The collector, or fisher, oftrepang is atrepanger.
Trepanging is comparable toclamming,crabbing,lobstering,musseling,shrimping and other forms of "fishing" whose goal is the acquisition of edibleinvertebrates rather thanfish.
To supply the markets ofSouthern China,Makassarese trepangers traded with theAboriginal Australians ofArnhem Land from at least the 18th century and likely considerably earlier.[1] ThisMakassan contact with Australia is the first recorded example of interaction between the inhabitants of theAustralian continent and their Asian neighbours.[2]
This contact had a majorimpact on the Indigenous Australians. The Makassarese exchanged goods such ascloth,tobacco,knives,rice andalcohol for the right to trepang coastal waters and employ local labour. Makassarpidgin became alingua franca along the north coast among different Indigenous Australian groups who were brought into greater contact with each other by the seafaring Makassan culture.[2]
Archeological remains of Makassan contact, including trepang processing plants from the 18th and 19th centuries, are still found at Australian locations such asPort Essington andGroote Eylandt, and the Makassar-plantedtamarind trees (native toMadagascar andEast Africa).[2]
Slow-moving creatures related tosea stars andsea urchins, sea cucumbers are found on thesea floor. As such, trepanging is accomplished byspearing,diving,dredging or simply picking the animals up by hand when they are exposed atlow tide.
Traditionally, sea cucumbers were placed inboiling water before beingdried andsmoked before going to market.
Trepanging is an economically important activity in some areas, particularlySoutheast Asia. Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy inFar Eastern countries such asChina,Indonesia,Japan, andMalaysia.
Besides being valued for flavour-enhancing properties, sea cucumber is widely regarded as astimulant andaphrodisiac. There is evidence that its reputedmedicinal properties may be true.[3]
Based upon the belief in the healing properties of sea cucumber,pharmaceutical andcosmetics companies have developed pills, oils, and creams based on extracts. The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract in tissue repair has been the subject of scientific study.[citation needed]
Although some historians dates the start of the trepang industry to 1720, Regina Ganter of Griffith University suggests that the start of the industry may be around 1640. Artistic evidence, like the Arnhem land rock, also suggests that contact may go as far back as the 1500s.[4]
The land rock depicts the extensive boat voyages that spanned thousands of miles around the Australian cost line. The north-west monsoon, which arrived each December, also dictated the semi-permanent locations where the Makassan people would settle. These images likely contribute to narrative stories, which are associated with the ancestral story telling tradition of the indigenous people of Arnhem Land.
Artist Nandabitta Maminyamandja (1911 - 1981) of theAnindilyakwa people painted Macassanprau and trepang curing in 1974.[5] This work is natural pigments on eucalyptus bark and is now on display in theNational Gallery of Australia.[6] The subject matter includes the communication that the trepanging industry fostered, most importantly early trade interactions. In 1883, the trepanging trade started to decline with the South Australian governments implementation of the trepanging license.[7]
Trepanging-related art work was consistent with the influx of missionaries into the area, as there was a greater demand for secular stories. The missionaries did not encourage the production of ceremonial stories, and they established clear regulations around the subject matter that was depicted and distributed. Therefore, the narrative elements of the Makassan people harvesting sea cucumbers, engaging in the production process, and starting to trade, was culturally educational and desirable for the art market.[8]
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