The Uru-making Tradition and Culture Contacts across the Indian Ocean

Muhammad Salman

India has had long-standing maritime trade relationships with different parts of the world. These connections were sustained not only by ships and boats but also by the communities, skills, and knowledge systems that enabled their construction and navigation. One of the most remarkable examples of this maritime heritage is the ‘Uru’, a traditional wooden dhow built along the Malabar coast of Kerala.  The Beypore region has been renowned for this shipbuilding tradition for centuries, and the craft continues to survive despite significant socio-economic and cultural transformations. This shipbuilding tradition provides a valuable lens  for understanding culture contact through knowledge practices. The Uru-builders and artisans maintain enduring relationships with coastal communities and trading networks across the Indian Ocean, particularly through long-standing ties with merchants from the Middle East. These connections are sustained not merely through the movement of vessels, but through the transmission and recognition of shared maritime knowledge. Uru construction relies on embodied and experiential knowledge passed down through generations of craftsmen. Commissioning of Uru entails multimillion-dollar investments and depends on deep trust between investors and shipbuilding communities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, oral histories, and literature review, this study highlights how trust, expertise, and intergenerational knowledge sustain maritime connections and reflect India’s enduring artisanal heritage.