Extractive Activities: Fishing.

This miniature is a replica of a "whaling boat", a vessel used in the "hunting sperm whales", a fishing activity that was introduced in our region, in 1940, by Azorean fishermen.

It was built by João Moreira, a former fisherman from Caniçal, who worked in whaling and in the old factory, Empresa Baleeira do Arquipélago da Madeira (“Madeira Whaling Company”), which transformed the full dead animals, namely the bones. João Moreira also used this raw material in artisanal production, building various artefacts with whale bone.

When hunting was banned, the craftsman and his son began to build other artefacts, using wood as raw material, namely miniatures of vessels, such as this one, which is part of the museum’s collection.

Credits: Madeira Ethnographic Museum