The Boat on Dobo Hill

A bronze boat kept in a sacred forest in Flores continues to raise questions about its mysterious origins. The boat was recently the subject of a paper presented at this year’s EurASEAA conference in Dublin.

Tracking a mysterious artifact in Flores
Jakarta Post, 21 November 2012

Jong Dobo, which means the Boat on Dobo Hill, is a mysterious relic that continues to challenge scientific explanation that is on display in Dobo in Sikka regency, Flores.

In the form of a small copper boat 60 centimeters long, 12 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters high, Jong Dobo has 22 figures represented on board, comprising a captain, three helmsmen, 12 oarsmen and six passengers beside a chicken and a gong.

Now under the care of Tana Pu’ang (landlord) Sergius Moa, Jong Dobo is believed by locals to be a sacred object with supernatural powers, capable of producing heat, rain, strong winds and even creating disasters.

The road leading to Jong Dobo’s location is only two and a half meters wide, with cashew and candlenut trees neatly lining both sides. It is 100 meters from the gate of the two-and-a half-hectare Jong Dobo complex to the home of the inheritor and keeper of the miniature boat, Sergius Moa.

Full story here.