According to the mythology and belief of the sulawesi people, that the first to make a pinisi vessel is Sawerigading Crown Prince of Luwu Kingdom, the ship is made from a big tree called Walenreng tree, it is said that according to some people luwu story after the tree in cutting sawerigading then put a fissure the mountain above the former logs of trees that until now known as the Feather 'Poloe (Mountain Yang Patah).
after the ship was made then used Sawerigading go China to Apply A Princess named I We Cuddai whose beauty is not inferior to We Tenri Abeng his twin brother, sawerigading went to China on the orders of his twin brother, because at that time sawerigading fell in love with him.
Long story short, after sawerigading marry I We Cuddai finally came the thought to bring his wife into the Land of Luwu, because previously he has vowed not to go to the Land of Luwu so that in the middle of the boat trip sawerigading split into three parts and stranded in three different areas of the area Ara , Lemo-Lemo, and Bira. Then the people from these three regions reunited this part of the ship and named it "PINISI".
There is also a version that says It is said that the name of Pinisi is taken from the name of a person named Pinisi.Suatu when he sailed through the coast Bira.Dia saw a series of ships around the sea, he then reprimanded one of the ship's captain that the screen he still needs to be repaired.Sejak when the people thought Bira and design the screen in such a way and ultimately shaped Pinisi screen that like now ini.Atas reprimand of the people then the people Bira gave the screen with the name of Pinisi.
And other versions also say that the pinisi ship made when a wealthy merchant from Venice came to dartan sulawesi to buy spices and wood, karna wood in sulawesi is famous for very good quality, because so many items purchased merchant ship is not able to accommodate semuanyadan before he also had bought goods from the Philippines, because at that time the vessel in sulawesi is very large and if in use will slow the journey finally made a smaller sailboat with a lot because the community around the shipbuilder feel wonder the end of them asked, "Whose ship is it?" "And the shipmaker replied" The ship Peneseyya "so that eventually experienced the influence of the local community dialeg and changed the mention into" PINISI "Until now.