660 BANTU NEGROES 



bottom edge is firmly sewn to the upper rim of the keel by fine wattles, 

 made generally of the flexible rind of the midribs of the raphia palm. 

 Innumerable holes are pierced in the lower edge of the board and the 

 upper rim of the keel with a red-hot spike of iron. A small pair of iron 

 pincers draws the thin wattle through these holes, and in this way the 

 board which is to form the first plank of the canoe sides is firmly fixed to 

 the edge of the keel. A second and broader board is again sewn to the 

 upper edge of the first one. When this has been repeated on both sides, 

 the canoe is made, but it is rendered firmer and more stable by the 

 insertion of the transverse poles which serve as seats and stays. The 

 prow and the stern are finished off by another hollowed half-cylinder of 

 wood stitched to the ends of the planks. The prow end of the keel is 

 also strengthened by a long bent pole with a backward twist being 



370. MODEL OF AN UGANDA CANOE 



securely fastened to the keel. The top of this prow is generally ornamented 

 by a pair of horns, and it is steadied by a stout rope being carried tightly 

 from the uppermost point of the prow to the nose or beak of the canoe. 

 Along this string hangs a fringe of banana filaments or bunches of grass. 

 The joins in the planks and between the lower planks and the keel are 

 generally covered by narrow rods on both sides, over which the bast which 

 makes the stitches is tightly tied. Finally, the outside of the canoe is 

 given a coat of grease to stop up chinks and holes, and is further 

 smeared with red clay both inside and out, so that the canoe is sometimes 

 almost the colour of vermilion. 



It is curious that with all these ingenious notions about boat-building, 

 the Baganda have never conceived the idea of using sails, and even now, 

 when they are familiar with Arab daus on the lake and European sailing 

 vessels, they still prefer to propel their canoes entirely by paddles. The 

 paddle, unlike so many Uganda implements, is not particularly artistic in 



