ENGLISH EVENT FLYER

Provincial Museum of San Ciprián

A museum for all among everybody“The world makers”

San Cibrao is a land of the sea. It´s a peninsula, a portion of

land that goes out to meet the sea without fear. It´s hard,

dangerous, brave, slave…but also an open door to new

horizons, sometimes uncertain but always hopeful.

San Cibrao was the birthplace of ship makers and brave men

who travelled on board combing the sea to get their fruits. They

were able to sail to distant worlds. Unknown worlds, worlds of

memories, simple stories that forms people´s spirit. Stories to

tell …

Our Sea museum is the best narrator. Not in vain, for more

than forty years, this museum, that has never stopped working

as a school, leads us through a spiral of emotions and

sensations, heritage of our ancestors: the worldmakers.

To weigh anchors…! You are all welcome to this house:

your sea museum of San Ciprián.

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SECTIONS

The organization of the museum begins in a hall and

continues in four rooms, each one with a tematic theme. The

route will be accesible in each section. There is a plan in relief

and marks on the floor to improve the itinerary and the

accesibility. In the museum you can profit from a wide variety

of original artworks, scales and plates in relief to touch in each

section. Likewise, you can have print fliers with adapted texts:

cartels, room´s sheets, complementary information in braille,

big characters or letters, event fliers in different languages,

information put in pictogrammes, ipod LSE, language with

signs…and we will introduce new Multimedia Information

Points, audioguides with narrative information, and other

resource sounds and adapted phone visits.

ENTRY AND ROOM NUMBER 1

0 The school: A museum for all among everybody. The

Museum Heartbeat: ship engines and photographic file.

ROOM NUMBER 2

1.The Ribeira´s carpentry: The example of San Cibrao.

2.Tipology of sailing ship built in San Cibrao.

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3.The art of “marear”. Looking at the North. The nautic

instruments and astronomic navigation.

ROOM NUMBER 3

4.Trades of the sea

5.The fishing history in San Cibrao: fishing tackles and

different instruments.

6.The sea life: something more than fishes.

ROOM NUMBER 4

7.The whale hunters.

THE MUSEUM WE WANT AND LOVE

In the last twenty years, the “New Museology” has been

developing in museum fields, an idea for the democratization of

valves and culture products, that means looking for the way to

bring culture to society, it doesn´t matter about culture or the

social status of the people. Because of this, several museums

have moved their attention and action to the visitor, but in the

words of Espinosa lecturer: “not for every visitor”. This kind of

museology usually forgets an important part of our society, that

is those people that have got a handicap that stops them from

having a “normal” life and can´t enjoy with completeness and

equal conditions of this culture experience. Nowadays, there

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are just a few museums that think about absolute accesibility as

a priority at the moment of investing in their new set it ups.

The Rede Museística Provincial of Lugo has been working

and fighting for more than ten years to make their museums

accesible to the public with disabilities. Our aim is withdraw

the “excepcional” as an adjective refering to accesibility, and

make it a commun factor to have in mind in the planification of

any social action and cultural event.

The culture is an interactive experience, we make culture,

and the museum is an instrument of mediation that has the

responsibility of communicating and establishing a dialogue

with the public. Therefore, the new project designed for

Provincial Museum of San Cibrao aspires to follow this

philosophy and to become a model of an open museum in all

senses, even, with full attention to the diversity, that will be

able to approach the message and make everyone part of the

activities.

We´ve been developing the practical application of Universal

Design to the Museologic and Museographic project from the

conception of global message to organization in space and in

time, integrating different sensory languages (visual, oral,

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tactile, kinesthetics),interactivity and comprehension acquire

the highest grade of global accesibility.

For the new project we count on the advice of people and

associations linked to discapacity, but also with the total

implication of San Cibrao neighbours, of the Mariña and

museums staff. We´ve wanted everyone who has taken part in

the new project of the museum, counting on their colaboration

and opinion.

The importance of San Cibrao museum is its special and

singular character, beyond its function as a cultural institution.

Since its birth as a school, a deep social implication with the

institution has always existed. This was the reason, that made

the institution the first Galician sea museum with public

character. It´s been making possible for years both functions as

a school, during winter, and a museum during summer

between 1969-1988.

The museum represents an icon for the region and, mainly

for San Cibrao town, and it´s an important part of the village.

For these reasons, we want:

- A didactic museum a museum that must continue being

a school, an instrument for learning and social education, a

method for reciprocal exchange of knowledge, deposit not only

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of inert objects, but also of inmaterial heritage, of historic

memory, and of regards that forms the identity of a village.

- An adapted museum an accesible museum, in the

expositive set it up and in speech.

- A social and sympathetic museum, that establish a

permanent dialogue with its environment, an inside-outside

museum that extends its action outside and establishes a live

conection of museum with its social and communitaire origins.

- An interactive and dinamic museum, in constant evolution

and in continuous construction, that generates a positive

synergy serves as a main center for new actions. The new

technologies of communication contribute to a bigger fluency

between the museum and the public and it will expand its

unlimited cultural activities.

- A museum of the future a museum close to people but

also open to the world. We want an open alive and human

museum in words of Georges Henri Riviére: “the success is not

measured by the number of visitors but by the number of visitors

who were taught something”.

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ENTRY AND ROOM NUMBER 1

Section 0: The school. A museum for all among everybody.

This building was born to be San Cibrao´s school in 1931,

thanks to Mr. José Mª Montenegro and his wife Mrs. Manuela

Goñí Maíste, they had been emigrants in Argentina. Their

donation (60.000 pesetas) allowed the building to be made of

granite stone, divided in two wings, one of them for masculine

school and the other for femenine school.

The building distribution is determined by their uses as a

mixed school. It had got two doors in the fachade that give

access to each classroom. In each classroom a room existed that

divide boys from girls.

In the sixties, the teacher, Mr. Francisco M. Rivera Casas, and

34 of their pupils turned “Ancient Schools” into a museum. In

1969 thanks to Alfredo Sánchez Carro, the Diputation of Lugo

agreed as a political act to create the museum. All together

they started an important work of recollecting sea objects, that

nowadays form an essential part of backgrounds which are

now part of the Museum of sea of San Ciprián collection. This

work counted, since its origins, on the absolute complicity of

society, interested in protecting their traditional relation and

link with the sea.

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In 1994, the Nautic section of Provincial Museum of Lugo, in

collaboration with its direction and neighbours to set it up as a

“museum” was inaugurated on the 12 th of August in 1994. The

Museum was managed by the Friends Association called “Cruz

da Venta” from 1994 until 2004. The Diputation of Lugo,

through the gerency, took over the direction of the Museum in

2004. Working with this responsibility, the “rede de museos”

started a reflection process and a study about identity of the

museum as a public institution that, besides its own functions

that include conservation, adquire, documentation,

investigation and diffusion, it will be a new space as a cultural

reference for current society.

Nowadays, it´s one of the four museums that is part of Rede

Museística Provincial. A museum for all among everyone.

THE MUSEUM HEARTBEAT

In the next space, the steam engine symbolize the museum

heart, the regenerator beat that fill with life the memory

corners and push us ahead. In this space, the audiovisual

methods serve as a communication channel between the

museum and their visitors. It is going to be a logbook where

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grafics evidences of our historic memory were picked up and it

´ll try to hummanize the objects that are part of the collection.

ROOM NUMBER 2

1.The Ribeira´s carpentry: the example of San Cibrao.

2.Tipology of sailing ships built in San Cibrao.

3.The art of “marear”: looking at North.

The theme of this area is the ribera´s carpentry of San Cibrao

and the most common constructive tipologies that went out of

their shipyards, showed in some model of ships in the

exposition, reply to scale large ships that had got a special

relevance in the San Cibrao history such as “Paca Gómez”, “ O

Industrial” ou Sargadelos schooner.

In the section 3 the art of “marear”. Looking at North. We will

put together the navigation instruments or nautic instruments,

essential to understand the navigation evolution and the

magnitude of their conquests, that leaded human beings to

discover new lands and to expand new geograhic and

intellectual horizons.

Likewise, we include “fanais” and position lights of ships as

significative elements for the navigation which function was to

mark the ship ubication and advice about manoeuvres during

departure.

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We´ve reserved an especial place for pieces from subacuactic

rescues, as in the case of shipwreck of Magdalena frigate and

Palomo brigantine. It happened in Viveiro´s estuary in 1810.

SECTION 1: The Ribeira´s carpentry. The example of San

Cibrao.

San Cibrao has counted on a large lineage of ship markers for

a long time. The book titled “Geografía del Reino de Galicia”

(1933) confirms that in the 14th century caravels were already

built in this area.

The definitive strength of naval construction in San Cibrao is

linked to the birth of Sargadelos factory at the end of the 18th

century. As a result of the increase of comercial flow, it also

increased the construction demand of coastal shipping for the

transport of manufactures and raw materials that were needed

in the factory. In this case, in the shipyard of the village they

began to build big sailing ships to travel around long routes,

mainly schooner and brigantine (and mixed variants of both),

such as Sargadelos schooner, and boats with less freight

capacity like “quechemarines”, “faluchas” or “pataches”, used

for displacements of less category and importance.

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Big boats were built with oars, like these boats “traiñóns” or

“chalupas” were employed for whale hunting or sardine fishing.

The shore carpenters searched in the woods for the most

appropiate trees for the moulds of the ship´s parts. Oak and

wood were mainly used because it was strong, for the ship

skeleton (keel and ribs) and pine or eucalyptus wood, due to its

flexibility and very useful for a ship part called “banzo” of hull.

Traditionally, cutting down the trees came about in autumm or

winter months, with crescent moon and at sunset, that is

because it is the day in which trees growth is lower (because it

has got less sap) to make wood treatments easier and to avoid

the rotting of wood. For it cutting down the trees tools such as

axe, “tronzador” (to cut up the wood) and a diferent kind of saw

such as “serra de aire”, “braceira” or “sierra portuguesa” were

used. To saw up pieces they used special saws called handsaw

and there are lot of varieties, such as “de costela”,” de punta” or

“de cotilla”. To work and to smooth down the wood, they had

special tools to cut, both sharp blade or not, such as: plane, jack

plane (in Spanish “garlopa”or “guillaume”), a kind of plane

called “cepillo de voltas”, hoes, or other tools called “trencha”

and gouge (in Spanish “gubia”). To measure: metres, squares,

compass, an ancient measure instrument that already existed in

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the Roman culture and its name is gauge (in Spanish “gramil”).

To hit and extract: hammer, mallet, pliers…and carpenter´s

brace (in Spanish “berbiquí”) and brace and bit (in Spanish

“barrenos”) to make a hole. And, finally, to press and hold down

a serie of tools with Galician names, such as “barrilete” (in

English ”cask”), “gato” (in English “jack”), “parafuso”,”prensas”

(“press”), “sargentos” or “sargentas” (in English sergeant

(masculine) and sergeant (femenine)).

When the hull is finished, they began the work of caulk. The

caulk consists of introducing between “banzos” of the

submerged part of the hull, two cords impregnated with pitch

to waterproof the boat.

Sails, sticks and the rest of the rigging were finished after the

ship was on the water with the hull floating. Sails were replaced

progressively by the steam machine, in the same way that it

was replaced by the explosive motor or diesel.

The apperance of iron to build bigger cargo ships headed for

carpentry decline, whose activity was reduced to smaller

fishing boats construction and reparations. They had got a new

period of splendour in the 60´s decade of the 20th century with

the emergence of tuna fishing.

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SECTION 2: Tipology of sailing

ships built in San Cibrao.

BRICBARCA

A ship with three or more sticks that distribute their sails in

all sticks except in the last, that elevate knife sails (“velas de

coitelo”), generally a kind of sails called in Galician “cangrexas”

to ilustrate it, like the English crustacean “crab”.

BRIGANTINE (Bergantín)

This ship usually has two sticks with all the rigging made by

“cuadras” sails (an especific kind of sail). It was recognised by

its displacement capacity, thanks to a big surface of sails that

was able to spread. They were faster than others and easier to

manoeuvre.

A variant of brigantine is the round brigantine, with two

sticks that elevate “cuadras”sails in the foremast and in the

bigger stick. It also has a crab sail (“vela cangrexa”) or

scandalous (“maricangalla”).

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BRIGANTINE-SCHOONER

Ship with two or more sticks with mixed sails between

brigantine and schooner. Its rigging

consists in sails called “cuadras” only

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in the foremast and knife sails (“velas coitelo”), mainly crab and

scandalous in the rest.

SCHOONER

Regular pale, it had got two or more sticks of

the same height and only rigging in the knife

sails.

Appeared in the 18th century, it was able to reach great

speed. The knife rigging needs less people to manoeuvre. It is

used to move less displacement than brigantines.

Schooner variants are:

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Schooner called “velacho”

It was identified like “velacho” these with a sail cuadra in the

foremast. This element gives it more power when the wind

blows on the stern.

Schooner called “de gabias”

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Its rigging was formed with “gabias”, a kind of sail with

square shape in the high part of the biggest stick.

QUECHEMARÍN

Ship with less charge and importance. It had got stick with

sails in the third, a small mesana stick to stern, with an

important element (“botalón”) to prow where there was

“foques” and flying “gavias”useful when light winds blow.

PAILEBOTE

Its name came from “pilot boat” or pilot ship of USA East

Cost. Its rigging is usually the schooner, with crab

(“cangrexas”), scandalous and “foques”. Its use was spread in

the Mediterranean as a comercial ship.

The agility of this type of ship made it one of the favourites

during the war periods in England.

FALUCHOS

A boat with Mediterranean origins, was used mainly for

coastal shipping, but was also employed for fishing. It was

characterized by its lightness. It had got two sticks placed in

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two bigger latine sails (triangular). With a large botalón in the

stern as a “bauprés”in which was placed a bigger foque.

A GLOSSARY FOR BEGINNERS

Prow (popa): front part of the ship.

Stern (proa): back part of the ship.

Port (babor): looking to stern, left part of ship.

Starboard (estribor): looking to stern, right part of

ship.

Side (costados): two parts of hull.

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Amuras: curved parts of sides that converge to make

the stern.

Wings (aletas): curved parts of sides that converge to

make the prow.

Obra viva or “carena”: part of hull that it´s under the

water.

Flotation line (línea de flotación): it´s the line that

separates the live part (obra viva) of the dead part (obra

muerta), that´s to say it is determined by water level regarding

the hull.

A SHIP DIMENSIONS

Length (eslora): ship length measured since stern to

prow.

Manga: maxime width of ship, part until starboard.

Puntal: ship height from keel to high part of deck line.

Soaked (calado): vertical distance between keel and

flotation line. Measurement of the part of the ship under the

water (waterproof).

FORMER PARTS OF THE SHIP

Rigging (aparejo): in a sail ship the rigging was made

by the group that forms “arboladura”, “xarcia·” and sails.

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Arboladura: it was formed by sticks and hangers, that

was used to hold down and manoeuvre sails.

Sticks: each of one masts that serve to hold down the

hangers and to distribute sails. The main sticks of ship used to

be, from stern to prow, foremast, bigger and “messana”.

Foremast: stick near stern.

The biggest: it´s the main stick of ship, the highest.

Mesana: stick near prow.

Bauprés: stick that jut outs off hull like a

prolongation of stern and it was placed horizontally regarding

this.

Cofa: tableland placed horizontally in the higgest part

of stick to make the manoeuvre of high sails and place “vixías”

easier.

Xarcia: group of cable that is used to hold down and

manoeuvre arboladura and sails. It was standed out between

firm “xarcia de labor”formed by cables used to raise, lower or

direct rigging.

Sails: pieces of wollen material held down by stick

and hangers, they received the wind that allowed the boat to be

propelled. We could divide the types of sail in two big groups:

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- Sails “cuadras”,round rigging or in cross, placed to

part to starboard and “aúrico” rigging and knife sails placed as

longitudinal shape from stern to prow.

PARTS OF HULL

Hull (casco): ship body without its “arboladura”.

Keel (quilla): the main part of hull structure, placed

longitudinally in its part. It forms the spinal column of ship.

Rib (cuaderna): they are like the ship´s back. It has

got “U” or “V” shape, and it is place symmetrically to each side

of keel and finishes in the highest part of side, giving shape and

resistence to the ship. The banzos were nailed over them.

Baos: reinforcement transverse that join the ribs to

the high part, from part to starboard, and they are used as a

support for the decks.

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Cover (forro): ship revestiment. Plank driven over

ribs.

Mamparos: they are the partition that divide the

inside of the ship.

Borda: superior part of side that juts out of deck.

Rudder (timón): giratory pole installed in the prow in

vertical axle, join to mechanism in deck (since the 18th century,

the rudder) allowed the marking of the direction of thes ship.

SECTION 3: THE ART OF “MAREAR”. LOOKING AT NORTH. THE NAUTIC INSTRUMENTS AND ASTRONOMIC NAVIGATION.

The story of navigation: The art of “marear”

The sea control supposed an irrevocable break in the world

conception both from the point of view of the reason as the

faith. In the earliest days of Middle Ages, the navigation world

was an important and real art called “a arte de marear”. Since

the introduction of nautic needle1 (or in Spanish “aguja de

marear”) in the 13th century, the most popular method was the

navigation “a estima” whose only references were speed and

direction to determine an approximate position of the ship in

1 It always marks magnetic N of Earth.

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the sea. The speed was measured with the “corredera” it

consisted in a board linked to a string with knots tied to

irregular gaps. When a certain time passed the pilot threw the

string to the water by the stern and let it go during a while

(about 30 seconds) and helped by an hourglass could count the

knots, that´s to say, the nautical mile2 and he also calculated the

distance sailed.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the combination of

magnetic needle with the compass card3 (in Spanish the “rosa

de los vientos”) brought to the nautic compass, an essential

instrument for navigation until up to now.

The group of basic sailing instruments is completed with the

binnacle, whose initial purpose was to protect the compass

from bad weather conditions and to give stability to make the

direction lectures easier.

The 16th century is made up of points of inflection in the

navigation story. The Golden Age of discoveries begins. The

most powerful countries in the world started a fight without

respite to obtain new territories. They also needed to

consolidate the control over their territorial possesions and

2 Nautic mile: 1.852 m.3 It´s a disk in which appears marked 32 directions, “cuartas” or “vientos” posible in the navigation.

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keep a fluent communication with them. All of this is going to

be the reason why they invested their efforts to investigate new

techniques and more efficiant and exact navigation

instruments than the previous ones. In this way the transition

to astronomical navigation happened which is based on direct

observation of stars position in relation to the earth to

determinate with precision the coordinates (length and

latitude) that also allowe the ship´s situation to be established

when it is out at sea and the coast is not seen as a reference

point anymore.

There was an improvement in the isnstruments already well-

known from the Middle Age as the astrolabe, “ballestilla”, or the

quadrant and the necessary steps to made new instruments

were taken, like the “octante” or “sextante” (in the 18th

century). These new objects were used to take down angular

measures of sun´s height on the North (or polar) Star when it

passes to meridian regarding a fixed point like the horizon and

that was very important and necessary to latitude (N-S)

calculus.

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At the beginning of the third part of the 18th century John

Hadley´s octante appears. The instrument worked with the

physics idea of light reflexion. It measured height until 90º. The

“sextante” came up later like an “octante” evolution, because it

got to expand measure angle until 120º. Likewise it

incorporated a mirror system that allowed putting on top in

just one plane the planet position over horizon. Also it was used

to calculate length giving the method to moon´s distances based

on the moon sistematic displacement regarding stars. The

results lack of neccesary and exact precision.

The determination of the length (E-W) was the weak point of

navigation lengthways of Modern Age, because to calculate

with exact precision, it´s neccesary to know in each moment the

exact hour of the place where the ship is. Therefore, it won´t be

until futher into the 18th century, with the nautic chronometer

when the definitive technic solution to the dilema was found

out.

THE SHIPWRECKS

The marine depths keep an interesting part of humanity

history in their bowels. Proof of that is as an important

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testimony will be found in the museum from shipwrecks

happened in waters of Viveiro river, the dawn of 2nd of

november in 1810. Inmersed in a belic conflict with Napoleonic

France, a English and Spanish squadron in charge of guerrilla

Antonio Renovales weigh anchor from Ferrol, with the mision

of controlling some of the Cantabric strategic parts, when they

were surprised by strong north-west winds. Some of the men

could look for shelter in the Viveiro river, but it was too late.

The storm got worse, and ships were not able to support the

strong colera of the sea. Among these ships were Magdalena

frigate and Palomo brigantine, with a lot of supplies. The

Magdalena frigate in its anxiety, attacked with violence against

England frigate Narcisus and finally it ran aground in Castelos,

a little island that flanked the Covas beach. In the frigate piled

up more than 550 people, rescued by others boats flooded by

the storm. The brigantine Palomo run aground in Sacido beach.

The Santa María Magdalena frigate measured 41,70 m. of

length by 10,25 of manga, and it displaced around 500 tonnes.

It was armed on deck with a battery composed of 18 canons of

18 pounds, and two canons of 18 pounds had to be added, two

canons of 6 pounds in the prow and 12 obuses in the fortress.

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In the tragedy more than a million people died. There were a

lot of victims, that authorities undertook to bury the drowned

people in graves in the dunes of Covas beach.

In memoriam of these shipwreack, a monument of Castelos

in Covas beach (Viveiro) was inaugurated in 1934.

ROOM NUMBER 3

4.TRADES OF THE SEA.

5.FISHING HISTORY IN SAN CIBRAO: RIGGING, TACKLE

AND FISHING ART.

6.SEA LIFE: SOMETHING MORE THAN FISHES.

In this room we will take the San Cibrao case as reference to

show, in particular to general, the symbiosis between coastal

village and its sea. Of this relation, trades directly linked to

work of catching fish of elaboration, its processing and its

marketing, and objects associated with these duties appear.

Fisherwomen, in Galician called “peixeiras” or

“pescantinas”, and working with their traditional instruments:

bacías, patelas…

Women who work with nets. They are “redeiras”and

employ wood needles and “malleiros”.

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Cordeleiros: instruments that allow the elaboration and

repairing cables of boats.

We inclued some of fishing arts employed by sailors of San

Cibrao during its history. In this space, there are two important

pieces to pay attention to:

A complete wetsuit of three pieces ( casaca, pantalón

faenero to work in the sea and cap), all made in traditional

shape with linen “encascado”.

An especific boat called “traiñón” or “txalupa baleeira” with

3 m. of length with two sails.

We can´t describe this room without referring directly to the

aim of these works: the fruits of the sea. We inclued several

representations of marine fauna, mainly, collecting of

malacología made with shells (around 70% os total

backgrounds of the museum), total or parcial skeletons of

marine animals (whale and shark jaws, spades of spade fish,

skeleton of dolphin, etc), dissected animals like turttles, coral,

fossil, seaweeds…

SECTION 5: FISHING HISTORY IN SAN CIBRAO: THE

RIGGING AND PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION.

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Traditional Galician song

“Hei ven o maio

que trai o tempo bo,

hei ven o maio

para pesca do traiñón.

Hei ven o maio

Viste de señorito,

hei ven o maio

para pesca do bonito”.

Since its origins, San Cibrao has kept a close link to the sea.

The socioeconomics rhythms of the region are condicioned to

the rhythm of tides.

The early normal fishing as a complementary ocupation of

agriculture became in the vertebrador axle and the local

economy was organized around it. The fishing activity

generated a serie of trades (carpenters, “cordeleiros” people

who works with barrels, fisherwomen, “redeiras”, etc) who

directly or indirectly give work and occupation to an important

percentage of population.

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In the early 20th century, the sardine was the protagonist. At

that time, there were three factories of “salgadura” in San

Cibrao. But from the 30´s, tuna began to be important. In spring

people fished “bocarte” or anchovy. Tuna fishing was in the

summer months, and from its end until winter other kind of

fish was fished: spade fish and “marraxo”. In the sixties, San

Cibrao was, after Burela, the port with more tuna boats. In

these years, the comarca lived a crisis in the fishing sector and

because of that a lot of sailors changed the fishing to the

marketing navigation.

Now it´s the moment to describe briefly the most fishing arts

used on our coastal. We can establish a first division between

net arts and hook arts.

The net arts are divided in:

1.Fixed they are net material that were soaked vertically

through anchors in its inferior part, and with a bark or floating

line in the superior. It could be fixed at the bottom or between

water.

2.Volanta this kind of art is

documented on our coastal line

since the beginning of 16th century.

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It was formed by an unique material that can reach 8 km. of

length. It was placed at the bottom to capture bigger fishs, like

hake, sea bass or angler fish.

3.Trasmallo it was formed by three materials of

superimposed nets, the exteriors with bigger mesh than

interior. It was soaked at the bottom, to capture rock species

like “faneca” or conger eel.

4.Beta or volantilla it´s similar to volanta, but smaller, the

size would be the same as the mesh. It was used to fish:

pescada, faneca, meigas, sargos…

5.Rascos art of bottom of the sea with a big mesh, is use

for sea food capture (lobster, spider crab, etc) as fish (ray,

turbot…)

6.De deriva a technique of mesh, by means of floating or

drifting the net materials.

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7.Xeitoa variety traditionally used for sardine fishing. In

the 17th century it was made in linen with smaller mesh. It´s a

surface art.

8.De cerco dedicated to certain capture, like sardine or

“xurelo”. The rigging is placed around the “cardumen”and the

art is closed with a string called “xareta”, forms a sack of fish.

9. Traíña in the 17th century, the “ traíña” was formed by

fishermen apportation of materials or “quiñones”. The result

was a rectangular net. It was thrown from the coast and then

hurled by the other extreme from a boat: “traíña”or “trincado”,

until it formed a circle over the fish bank.

10. Terrafa or terrafiña a variety used since the

appearance of steam ships.

11. De copo or de arrastre net materials from a kind of

closed sack that it´s pulled along by one or more boats. The

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dragging can be from the bottom (bentonic) or between two

water currents (pelagic).

12. Xávega it was introduced in Galicia by Catalonian

people.Its use generated conflicts in the marine communities

because they were predatory in excess. It consisted in a “cope”

net that loosened from land, and by another cable out to sea.

Fishing done in land, or with human traction or with animals

help.

13. Rapeta common variety on our coastal since

Modern Age. It´s also known as little back, ·”traíña menor” or

“rapeta de traíña”, it was characterized by not having “cope”.

14. Boliche or chinchorrowith an

important difussion in the 2nd half of 17th

century by its user-friendliness because of

its smaller size than “traíña”. It can be used in spaces more

reduced, normally to fish sardines. Nowadays, it has got

dimensions of 40 m. of large by 10 m. of high. It was formed by

two parts: “cope”and sack.

In Modern Age, nets and strings were made in linen or in

hemp, and later in cotton thread. For giving them resistence,

nets must be “encascadas”. The “encascado” consisted in boiling

them in cauldrons which bank of willow, oak or pine were

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added. Once it is scalded, nets extend over furniture called

“maseiros”or “artesas”, where the cauldron water was

depositated, dyed by effects of banks. In this shape, giving

colour to materials.

OF HOOK

Lines

It consists of a thread rolled around cork (“sirgo”) or wood

(“grádella). In the extreme, the line has got lead, and one or

more hooks.

Fishing line with hooks (palangre)

It was formed by a main line in which

others shorter that were drawn that go

hold down the hooks. The fishing lines

with hooks can be from the bottom to

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capture conger eel, or surface to capture pelagic species like

tuna, “marraxo”or spade fish.

Curricán

This art is used in Lugo coast to capture tuna. It consists of

putting large sticks on the ship sides which go coupled to

thread, or brazolas, and extrems the hooks. It works “á cacea”,

that´s to say, with ship in movement. Up to a short time ago, the

addition was made by whitening corn leaf and combed with

combs of wire to convert it in threads.

Poteras

They are formed with lead covered with coloured threads,

and finished in its inferior part with a crown of small hooks. It

was used to capture of “luras” and squids.

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To capture octopus and sea food, fishersmen employ the

“nasas”, that are a kind of cage or trap supplied with aberture

or mouth in shape of funnel that makes the entry of capture

easier and prevents its exit. They are made of different

materials, mainly wood, willow or metal. Their shape is

different depending on the capture (octopus, “faneca”, shrimp,

lobster, fiddler crab…)

Besides fishing, the shellfish is one of the other relevant

activities of the sector. The shellfish can be done on foot or

from a boat (shellfish afloat). Now we are going to describe

some of the rigging employed in this activity:

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1.Sacho it´s similar to one used in agriculture. It´s useful to

remove sand to search: “chirla”, clam…

2.Angazo a kind of rake that

employed to collect cockle,

“ameixa”,”coquina”, etc.

3.Rasqueta it´s like a spatula

that serves to pull up rock

barnacles and mussels.

4.Rastro it was used from a

boat to capture “ameixa”,cockle…

It was formed by a rake in which

a piece of net was added, and all

the group go joined to a stick with appropiate measurements

depending on the depth.

5.Raño and gancha it´s similar to rake, but substitute

“cope” by a metalic bars. Both are lighter than others and are

easier to use.

6.Can or endeño it´s very useful to pull along because of its

size, it´s necessary to throw it to the water and then it´s going

to be pulled along by the boat. It´s allowed depths of more than

20 m. It is used to catch species like “ameixa” and scallops

(vieiras in Galician).

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Some auxiliary rigging, useful

to a fishing and shellfish also

exist:

7.Trueiro it´s composed by

a stick with a hoop joined to

incorporated a net back.

8.Tina or espello box of

wood with a glass at the bottom

that permits the capture of

spider crabs or sea urchins.

9.Bicheiro stick with an iron hook in one of the extrems

that is both used to fish and to couple cables or move the boat

closer to land.

ROOM NUMBER 4

The protagonists of these room are bone rests of whale. They

were collecting in the surroundings of San Cibrao beach,

speacially in the Cubelas where the hunted cetaceans were

processed in the 16th- 17th century. In the 20th century, whale

hunting returned to be a source of resources distinguished for

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local economy. The family Massó, one of the maior canning saga

of Galicia, installed one of the whale factories in Morás (Xove).

SECTION 7: THE WHALE HUNTERS

The whale hunting was documented in Vasquian ports since

the 12 th century. In the 14th century, a crisis in the capture,

made the Vasquian whale hunters, specially from Guipúzcoa

and Vizcaía, look for new places, at first it was because of

temporary that the tradition had to move progresivelly around

Cantabrian Coast.

In Galicia, the whale industry had their apogee between the

16th and 17th century. The most important whale bases were

placed in Lugo coast (Mariña Lucense for Lugo people), in

Rinlo, Foz, Nois, Burela, San Cibrao and Bares ports. In the

atlantic coastal, only Caión and Malpica ports developped

successfully this fishing. The hunting system was imported

from Vasquian tradition:

“They were killed in this way: they come up in a vantage point,

the point of a saw falling down over the sea and here begins to

jump a big amount of water making a lot of foam, and when the

whale has got half body outside the water, the vantage point

warned the sailors, who armed their boats and putting inside a

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bigger quantity of rope and with parts tied in the cabbles and

with harpoon, go to catch them and throw darts. The whales feel

attacked and furiously go out to sea very furious, with the

harpoon in their skin and fishermen following the rope until they

bleed and abandon their life. In this moment, the fishermen bring

them to cost where lots of oil is extracted from those whales by

making fire”

(Bartolomé Sagrario de Molina, Ldo. Molina, in his book

Description of Galicia Kingdom and its main important aspects)

The group of cetaceans, mainly Vasquian whale (Eubalaena

glacialis or Eubalaena Biscayensis) take care of them in the

Cantabrian sea in their emigration route from North Atlantic,

between October and March months. In this time, the fleet,

formed by a main “chalupa” and other auxiliaries, had got the

rigging ready to go out to sea in the moment when the vantage

point sees the whale and gives the warning. The Galician

chalupas measured belween 6 and 8,5 m. of length and had got

two sticks with their correspondent sails. The tripulation was

composed by eight or nine men. The animal was caught with

iron harpoons, with the point in the shape of an arrow. To

exhaust the animal, they pinched it with a sharp blade,

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destined to bleed the animal. Both rigging were tied to”estacha”

(hemp string).

When the whale was dead, it was tied between several boats

and lead to the coast for its displacement. For this operation

different types of knifes were used: carving knife (trinchante),

hard knife, axes, knife with double blade, etc.

The whale flat or “saín” was melted generally in the same

beach or in their surrounding area, in big cauldrons, and then it

was canned for marketing. The obtained oil was used as

combustible for lamps or for boats as time passed new uses

were found: it was made butter, soap, varnish…and uses in

perfumery and in pharmacy, etc.

With the whale whiskers, or “fanóns” wire sticks for

umbrellas were made, corset or fans, to pour out the wine,

horn…From cachalote´s head (Physeter macrocephalus) extract

the “espermaceti”or whale sperm, a liquid that anciently was

used as oil to spark plug and nowadays serve for elaboration of

cosmetics and pharmacy products.

In some places such as San Cibrao, Foz or Burela, the whale

industry took over to a productive comercial change with rest

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of Cantabrian aerea in the first half of the 17th century for

example arriving to France.

Between the end of 17th century and the start of 18th century,

the definitive decadence of whale hunting in our coasts took

place. It wasn´t until 1965 when whale turned to acquire

leading role in San Cibrao life, when the canning company

Massó installed one of their factories in Portiño de Morás

(Xove). The factory counted with modern instalations that

allowed the complete process of whales for obtaining and

canning oils and flour, and also for preparing meat to eat. The

captures were carried out from whale (baleeiros) ships, like the

“Carrumeiro” or “Cabo Moras”, with harpoons armed in its

prow.

It was closed in 1976, just before the declaration of

international moratory of comercial haunting of whale (1986).

Nowadays, these areas are occupied by Alcoa factory, one of the

basic pillars of economy of the area.

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