Investigating Why Canoe Owners Write Some Inscriptions on Their Canoes

Isaac Wereko¹ | Peter Wonders Kankam² | Monalisa Armah³ | Yoni Paa Quecy Howard⁴

School of Communication, Knutsford University College¹ | School of Communication | African University College of Communication^2,3 | Communication Arts Department, Academic City University College⁴

Abstract

This study is to investigating why canoe owners write some inscriptions on their canoes.  Canoes are very important capital equipment for the fisherman in communities along the coasts of Ghana. Owners decorate and identify their canoes with symbols and inscriptions which are meant to communicate. These symbols and inscriptions have some communication implications that are relevant to the cultural heritage of the people of the fishing communities. They embody different forms of representations which in most cases have elaborate meanings underlying them. Studying canoes therefore goes beyond studying the canoes themselves as particular entities, but also all aspects of life which are tightly intertwined with these conceived inscriptions, including religion, economics, social activity, and even politics. These symbols and inscriptions may have some social values and meanings that are relevant to the cultural heritage of the fishing communities. Observers of these inscriptions may perhaps lack an in-depth interpretation and understanding of the inscriptions and designs on the canoes. Meanwhile, these inscriptions may not just be there for only decoration’s sake, they may carry socio-cultural values or information which may be very relevant for the promotion of indigenous culture and public education. Again, a number of studies have been conducted into the study of artisanal canoes in Ghana. Most of these studies were conducted into the area of canoe carving and manufacturing processes. Others too concentrated on the artistic view of canoe designs and inscriptions purely from the artistic perspective. Aggrey (2015) dwelt on artisanal marine fishers’ use of symbols and other nonverbal cues for communicating in their business. This current study therefore sought to investigate the communication implications of Inscriptions and Artforms on Artisanal Marine Canoes of three selected communities in the Central Region of Ghana.

Keywords:  Canoe Owners Writings, Fishermen Activities in Ghana, Artisanal Marine Canoes

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