Fitora and torchlight fishing (encesa)

What is

The fitora is an iron harpoon with several prongs for spearing large fish and mollusks. It was used in a l'encesa fishing: at night, with light that dazzles the fish.

How is

• Fitora: iron with 2, 3, 5 or more spikes on a long handle.
• Light: lanterns or lighting fixtures (lanterns or torches) (DCVB); teia (resinous chips) in the fester.
• Boat team cited by the DCVB: "sa teya, es fester, ses fitores, es salabre y es bàtil."

How is fa

• Forging of the spikes ferro forjat .

Com s'usa

• At night, the light on the bow attracts or dazzles the fish; The fisherman stabs it with the fitora and collects it with the salabre .

Vocabulary

• fitora: multi-barbed harpoon.
• encesa: night fishing or hunting with light.
• fester: iron support for the burning torch (to verify DCVB definition).
• teia: resinous pine splinter.

History

• 1467: "una segueta or fitora de ferre" (doc., DCVB).

On veure'n

• Maritime Museum of Mallorca; Museum of the Sea of ​​Sóller (to be verified).

Why is it design

• Night kit: light, harpoon and net work as a system.

For the project

• Recreate the encesa scene in a night photo with fishermen from Cala Rajada or Portocolom.

Sources

• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=fitora
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=encesa
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=salabre

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

Open it in the atlas →