''Sabani'' take their name from ''saba[fuka]'', referring to the oils taken from the gall bladders or other innards of sharks and used as a sealant in constructing the boats, and ''funi'', the [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]] word for "boat." This shark-derived sealant protects against the rotting of the wood, and turns black when it oxidizes, producing the typical black color of ''sabani'' hulls.<ref>''Kaiyô Kokka Satsuma: Ushinawareta Ryûkyû-sen fukugen'' 海洋国家薩摩-失われた琉球船復元, Kagoshima: Shôkoshûseikan (2005), 27, 40.</ref> | ''Sabani'' take their name from ''saba[fuka]'', referring to the oils taken from the gall bladders or other innards of sharks and used as a sealant in constructing the boats, and ''funi'', the [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]] word for "boat." This shark-derived sealant protects against the rotting of the wood, and turns black when it oxidizes, producing the typical black color of ''sabani'' hulls.<ref>''Kaiyô Kokka Satsuma: Ushinawareta Ryûkyû-sen fukugen'' 海洋国家薩摩-失われた琉球船復元, Kagoshima: Shôkoshûseikan (2005), 27, 40.</ref> |