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time still made of ramie" had to be dried immediately after use. It was possible, and indeed usual, to carry them up to the grass covered hillside, or spread them out on rocks that were relatively smooth. Much of the netted fish was salted and sun-dried before sale, and it was common to see every available flat space carpeted with silver sardine type fish, close packed together on small straw mats. The members of each fishing group normally used its "own" part of the reclamation for fish drying, “ownership" here meaning simply that the area in question was stated to have been reclaimed originally by their agnatic forebears and themselves. Such areas might be lent to other fishermen if the "owners" were not using them. A small acknowledgement in fish would usually be made, or possibly a present of cooked food be sent across from the borrower's boat at the time of the evening meal. Any fisherman drying his fish on the path running in front of any house would give the householder a few fish. From time to time most householders also helped themselves to fish that had been spread out to dry. The largest and smoothest flat area (p’eng dei), that in front of the temple, was used freely for sail making, rope twisting or other major operations.
Apart from the three owners of fish huts and the traditional use of reclaimed flat land just described the fishermen had no land rights. They lived on their fishing boats, drawn up (when they were all in port) in regular lines just offshore, and slightly to the west of the temple. Each boat had its permanent moorings, the lines being arranged in such a way that men of the same agnatic descent moored next to one another. The boats were of two main types: purse-seiners (ku tsai or soku) of which there were 37, and small long-liners (siu diu), 15, with a few others. All are described in greater detail below. To each fishing boat (junk) was attached one or more dinghies (sampans) for journeying to shore or between boats, and for use also in certain types of fishing operation. The sampans were always worked by a kind of sculling over the stern, known as “yu loh” the knack of which had been acquired by all boat children by the time they were six or seven years old. Access to the shore was by any one of three rough jetties constructed, like the distant reclamations, out of huge granite boulders. In 1950 all the junks were wind-driven.
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time still made of ramie" had to be dried immediately after use. It was possible, and indeed usual, to carry them up to the grass covered hillside, or spread them out on rocks that were relatively smooth. Much of the netted fish was salted and sun-dried beforc sale, and it was common to see every available flat space carpeted with silver sardine type fish, close packed together on small straw mats. The members of each fishing group normally used its "own" part of the reclamation for fish drying, “owner- ship" here meaning simply that the area in question was stated to have been reclaimed originally by their agnatic forebears and themselves." Such areas might be lent to other fishermen if the "owners" were not using them. A small acknowledgement in fish would usually be made, or possibly a present of cooked food be sent across from the borrower's boat at the time of the evening meal. Any fisherman drying his fish on the path running in front of any house would give the householder a few fish. From time to time most householders also helped themselves to fish that had been spread out to dry. The largest and smoothest flat area (p’eng dei), that in front of the temple, was used freely for sail making, rope twisting or other major operations.
Apart from the three owners of fish huts and the traditional use of reclaimed flat land just described the fishermen had no land rights. They lived on their fishing boats, drawn up (when they were all in port) in regular lines just offshore, and slightly to the west of the temple. Each boat had its permanent moorings, the lines being arranged in such a way that men of the same agnatic descent moored next to one another. The boats were of two main types: purse-seiners (ku tsai or soku) of which here were 37, and small long-liners (siu diu), 15, with a few others. All are described in greater detail below. To each fishing boat (junk) was attached one or more dinghies (sampans) for journeying to shore or between boats, and for use also in certain types of fishing operation. The sampans were always worked by a kind of sculling over the stern, known as “yu loh” the knack of which had been acquired by all boat children by the time they were six or seven years old. Access to the shore was by any one of three rough jetties constructed, like the distant reclamations, out of huge granite boulders. In 1950 all the junks were wind-driven.
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