Small boats of Madura

Abstract

MADURA lies off the north coast of East Java, linked by a ferry from Surabaya where you can catch a bus and travel far into Madura without having to change your seat. Compared to Java, it is a dry and unproductive island, with limestone rather than volcanic soil. The only tourist attractions advertised are the bull races, which take place annually in August or September, but it is one of the most rewarding regions of Indonesia for the small boat enthusiast. The Madurese are one of the traditional maritime peoples of Indonesia. For two hundred years they have sailed as far as Timor or Singapore with loads of salt, cattle, rice and other heavy durables, rivalling the Bugis from Macassar, who served the more northerly and eastern islands. The Madurese developed their own prahus, the kroman, the janggolan and the golekan or Madurese trader in the nineteenth century and the /eti leti in this century, based on traditions established among their fishermen.