Ipanitika, also known aschinedkulan (also spelledchinedkelan orchinurikuran), are traditional fishing boats of theTao people ofOrchid Island,Taiwan. They are around 7.6 m (25 ft) and can carry up to 10 to 14 people. Smaller versions of theipanitika is known as thetatara ortatala, which are around 2.3 m (7.5 ft) long and can carry at least 2 people. They were propelled byoars mounted on a row of rope-wrapped posts that are slotted into a shelf built into the hull of the boat.[1][2]
ipanitika were traditionally used for voyages to theBatanes Islands in thePhilippines to trade with the closely relatedIvatan people. The smaller tatara were used for catching seasonal schools offlying fish that arrive from March to June. The launching ofipanitika andtatara during flying fish season is still celebrated annually by the Tao people.[3][1]
Ipanitika andtatara were built using thelashed-lug techniques unique toAustronesian peoples, withipanitika usually having fourstrakes, and tatara having three. Boat construction involved numerous rituals, celebrations, special clothing, and feasting. Wood used to build them must also be taken directly from living trees, as it was taboo to use dead wood on any part of the boat.ipanitika and tatara have sharply upturned extensions at the prows and sterns, giving the ship a crescent-shaped profile similar to thekarakoa andkora kora of thePhilippines and theMaluku Islands, and thetomako of theSolomon Islands. Like the latter ships, they were kept in special boathouses when not in use.[1]
They are traditionally painted with patterns in white, red, and black, made from lime, red soil, and soot, respectively. They have sun-shaped designs calledmata-no-tatara that symbolize eyes at both the front and rear ends of the boat, as well as intricate borders made of repeating patterns of geometric shapes. They also have human-shaped ornaments known as themoron-no-tatara decorated with black chicken feathers at the bow and stern posts. The same shape is also painted on the sides of the boat. These represent Magomaog, a legendary character in Tao folklore that taught them the art of boat-building.Moron-no-tatara are only affixed during certain rituals.[4][1][5]
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