Ethnogmphy of Micronesia. ßQ 



This triangular sail is extended by poles thrust along the edges of 

 its sides and is manipulated by means of a rope tied to one of 

 its corners. When sails cannot be used owing to lack of wind, 

 paddles are, ' of course, employed even in the sailing type of canoe 

 (Figs. 25 and 26). 



The natives of the Marshall Islands, who are said to be good 

 navigators sailing far out into the sea, are naturally skilful in 

 the art of building canoes. The ships of the Marshall Islanders, 

 unhke those of Truk, lack sharp projections at both ends. In the 

 general plan of construction there is no difference, since their 

 canoes are also simply trunks of the bread-fruit tree hollowed out, 

 supplemented with boards formhig the upper part of the sides. 

 In the Marshall Islands, however, the length of the outrigger is 

 practically the same as that of the canoe itself, the number of 

 thwart-poles being usually four or six, wdiile the mast is compara- 

 tively high with a large mat- sail (PI. XIX, fig. 1). Readers are 

 referred to Dr. A. Krämer,^ who gives a detailed description of 

 ships in the Marshall Islands. 



Sharp tools resembling chisels obtained from sea- shells, men- 

 tioned in another section of this paper, were formerly used in 

 building cmoes and this, of course, at the cost of a considerable 

 amount of time and labour. Even at present, with the use of iron 

 implements, the construction of a canoe is no easy work for the 

 islanders, often requiring more than twelve months (PI. XVI, fig. 2). 



Prow Oniainents. As already stated, carved ornaments are 

 affixed to the prow and stern of canoes. These ornaments are 

 38 cm. in length and 54 cm. in the widest point, and of the shape 

 shown in Fig. 27, and are coloured w^hite, black, red, etc. The 



1 A. Krämer, " Der Hn-is- und Bootb.in mif den Marshallinsdn," Arcaiv £. Antlir. N. F. Ill, 

 1905, pp. 229-309. 



