A Stroll in "Paradise" 



Canoes in Pacific Cultures 



There's no better way to learn about an environment 

 than by going there. We can't take our visitors to a 

 remote island, so we decided to bring an island to our 

 visitors. After many months of research, fieldwork, 

 design, and production, we've built an island within 

 the Museum's walls. We're sure you'll find it a land- 

 mark experience to walk across the coral reef flat and 

 leafy forest, out onto the sandy lagoon beach of an is- 

 land in Jaluit Atoll. You're in the Marshall Islands, 

 about 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii. 



This island is a tiny one, too small for human 

 habitation. Its main residents are coconut, pandanus, 

 and other tropical trees; bird's nest ferns and creeping 

 vines; skinks, geckos and giant coconut crabs; nod- 

 dies, terns, and tropicbirds. 



You'll begin your hike on the exposed ocean side 

 of the island. It's nearly sunset. A fresh wind blows 

 in from the sea. The reef flat, exposed at low tide, 

 stretches before you, littered with crabs, starfish, and 

 chunks of dead coral. In the distant sea a line of 

 breakers marks the edge of the underwater reef. You'll 

 hear the constant, roaring surf and leaves rustling in 

 the wind. Seabirds call from treetop perches; a reef 

 heron feeds on the reef flat. 



Follow a path to the interior of the island. 

 There, you'll discover a group of exhibits — cases, 

 labels, and hands-on models — inviting you to learn 

 how creatures disperse to remote islands. A "wind 

 machine" simulates dispersal on air currents; push 

 down on its pumps and watch seeds swirl through the 

 air. Slide open panels near a beached log to discover 

 how it brings new life to islands. Dunk a coconut in 

 water to see how it travels across the ocean to sprout 

 on distant islands. Look closely at a seabird to find the 

 seeds and snails that "hitched" a ride with him. 



Continue your hike and emerge from the island 

 center onto a lagoon beach gleaming with white sand 

 and turquoise water. On this side of the island there's 

 no surf, only the quiet lapping of waves along the 

 beach's edge. Keep an eye out for reptiles and crusta- 

 ceans, particularly giant coconut crabs, feeding on 

 their favorite food. 



People don't live on this tiny island, but they 

 come here from other islands in Jaluit Atoll to gather 

 resources like land crabs and fruits, and to fish from 

 the offshore reefs. If you look around, you may find 

 the remains of their picnic feast — charred shells, tur- 

 tle bones, and coconut leaf plates. Pulled up on the 

 sandy beach is their 18-foot-long outrigger sailing 

 canoe. 



Over many generations, canoe builders in the Mar- 

 shall Islands developed designs and building methods 

 well-suited to their austere environment. Traveling the 

 Pacific highlights these achievements with exhibit 

 labels that help you identify distinctive features of the 

 canoe's hull, sail, and outrigger. We'll show you where 

 to look at the hull to see how it's stitched together 

 from many small planks; this technique enabled the 

 canoe builder to make the most of scarce wood re- 

 sources. Labels also point to the hull's unique asym- 

 metric shape, explain how the outrigger works, and 

 recount a Marshall Islands legend explaining how 

 canoes got their sails. 



Acquired with assistance from the Alele Museum 

 of the Marshall Islands, this canoe is the only full-size 

 vessel in the Field Museum's Pacific collection. It was 

 built in 1977 and used until last year for fishing in 

 Jaluit lagoon. (See page 24 for more information 

 on the canoe.) 



Many people in Chicago are boating enthusiasts, 

 and might like to learn more about how Marshall 

 Islanders build and sail canoes. That information is 

 found in the exhibit in a thatched shed, similar to the 

 one a Marshall Islands canoe builder might use to 

 keep tools and materials sheltered from the hot sun or 

 pouring rain. In the shed you'll find samples of those 

 tools, and an unfinished canoe hull, showing how it's 

 constructed. There's a working model of an outrigger 

 canoe, demonstrating how it rides over ocean waves. 

 Finally, you'll find information on centuries-old 

 navigation techniques, using waves, clouds, birds, 

 and stars as natural guideposts. 



Leaving the canoe shed, visitors will find a dis- 

 play of arts and artifacts, all related to canoes, from 

 throughout the Pacific. Unlike plants and animals, 

 whose travel to far-flung islands was impeded by the 

 Pacific's vast expanse, people transformed the seas 

 from a barrier to a highway. In beautifully designed 

 and engineered canoes, they colonized nearly every 

 habitable island in this part of the world. Once people 

 settled on islands, canoes enabled them to fish, trade, 

 wage war, and simply keep in touch with their nearest 

 neighbors. 



We've assembled about 200 objects related to 

 canoes from throughout the Pacific. Canoe models 

 illustrate adaptations to different local environments: 

 open ocean, coastal waters, inland rivers. Other 

 models show canoes for war and trade. The display 

 includes many functional items such as paddles and 1 3 



