Dr. Gene Ammarell
Dr. Gene Ammarell’s display of model boats that are used by the people of Balobaloang is on display at Alden Library’s International Collections, first floor of Alden Library. Come and see “Wooden Boats of Balobaloang: An Indonesian Maritime Society” this week before the display ends.
Ammarell is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences. He also is a core faculty member in the Southeast Asian Studies Program.
Balobaloang is a small island in the Sabalana Archipelago, located approximately 112 nautical miles southwest of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. This island is home to around 600 people of Bugis ethnicity, one of more than 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. The Bugis of Sulawesi are among the most famous of all sea-faring societies in Southeast Asia.
Ammarell has worked with the people of Balobaloang for more than two decades, studying many aspects of this seafaring society. On display in the Southeast Asia Collection at Alden Library, is a collection of model boats that are representative of the wooden fishing and cargo vessels used by the people of Balobaloang since they first settled the island in the late 19th century. These models were created by the late Pak Haji Sima Daeng Pasolong. The display also includes information on the livelihoods and traditions of the Bugis of Balobaloang, depicting the unique life ways of the people of this small island society.
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