Kora-kora

A kora-kora in Halmahera circa 1920

The kora-kora is a large rowing boat, sometimes with hundreds of crew members, also called an outrigger canoe. The kora-kora was used in the Spice Islands (Moluccas) as a war and ceremonial vessel. It was attested from the time of Portuguese colonisation and during the heyday of the Dutch East Indies Company in the 17th Century.

Etymology

The name comes from the Spanish and Portuguese, derived from the Arabic qorqora, the plural ofqarâqir.^[1]

References