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“The term mataw refers to the method of hook-and-line fishing for dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) and to the fisher using this method” (Mangahas, 2008, p. 380).

“Traditionally in Batanes the mataw method of fishing has a collective aspect: before the fishing season begins fishers must first get together to “make the port” (Mayvanuvanua). Presently there are only four mataw ports or vanua in Batan Island: Chanpa-n, Manichit, Maratay, and Diora, located on the Valugan (roughly the east) side of Batan Island” (ibid.).

“By making the vanua (Mayvanuvanua), the mataw transform the vanua, which is a natural geological feature of the landscape, into a sacred and sensitive place” (ibid., p. 380-382).

Text submitted by Raizel Albano, Founder and Director of Anthro on Foot Audio Walking Tours

04-08-2024

References

Photo Credit: By Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE - Common Dolphinfishes (Coryphaena hippurus), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75936995 Mangahas, M. (2008). Making the Vanua: Collective Fishing Technology in Batanes and an Austronesian Archetype of Society. Philippine Studies, 56(4), 379–413.

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