Iji Boats
Small yet sturdy boats from the Iji Islands decorated in colourful ribbons.
Iji boats are a common method of transport in and around The Iji Islands. These long, narrow boats can seat around 6 people comfortably, sometimes more depending on the boat size.
The front of the boat is elongated and rises upwards into a pole, where lengths of colourful fabric are tied. Each strip of fabric carries different connotations and meanings depending on its colour and pattern. This is an easy way to tell if a boat is for personal use, taxi, tours, trading, or government usage.
The back end of the boat (usually a third to a half of it) is covered by a small roof to provide shade for the passengers or cargo. The covers are sometimes wood, but can also be made of thick fabric or even a very large turtle shell!
Along the coast the boats are operated with sets of oars, the heavier the cargo, the more oarsfolk will be needed. In the rivers and canals of cities they are usually pushed along with long oars that touch the river bed and push the boat along.
Certain rivers and canals can become very congested when trade ships come to port as they all bring out their wares in hopes of new deals with the foriegn traders. It's a sight to behold with all of the vibrant colours!
I really liked this article. One thing that I was wondering was the rower working status. Are they daily or hourly hires? Do they all congregate in the mornings at the harbour and are hand-picked by the different boat owners? Or do they form cooperatives and own their own boats? This line of thinking was triggered by the sentence "the heavier the cargo, the more oarsfolk will be needed." which implies that the same boats do not necessarily always employ the same amount of people.