Chalupa
A chalupa is the name given by the Basques to the boat they use for whaling. Solidly built, this rowboat with oars and sails is made of oak and wrought-iron pegs. Slender in shape, it measures around eight metres long and two metres wide. Its keel has a strong arch, allowing better manoeuvrability.
Smaller and faster than the ships brought from Europe, they are ideal for hunting. Chalupas are also used to provide a transport between the ship and the onshore transformation facilities.
References
Date: Replica of a 16th-century object
Origin: Canadian Museum of History
Owner: Canadian Museum of History.
Sources:
Pope, P. E. (n.d.). Economic Activities : Basque Whalers. Virtual Museum of New France. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/economic-activities/basque-whalers/?_ga=2.259678412.754727292.1691089982-1251908719.1690490792&_gl=1*1anavz*_ga*MTI1MTkwODcxOS4xNjkwNDkwNzky*_ga_6SV303E8VY*MTY5MTA5MTI1NS4xLjAuMTY5MTA5MTI1NS4wLjAuMA.
Delmas, V. (2018). Les pêcheurs basques au Canada, 1530–1760, de la culture matérielle à l’identité culturelle [Basque whalers in Canada, 1530–1760, from material culture to cultural identity] [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Université de Montréal.
