3IO Memoirs Bcruicc P. Bishop Museum 



those of the supplementary breakwater, and two long poles like those of the stern platform 

 were lashed to these, one on each side. The tips of these poles projected forward almost to the 

 figure head. In rear platforms the top of the cribwork was probably floored in some way. The 

 platform was quite small, and according to the early accounts, was occupied by only one man. 



DECORATION OF CANOES 



Canoe decorations fall at once into two classes — carvings and decorations 

 incorporated into the canoe and temporary decorations. The use of ornamental 

 lashins's has heen mentioned, but no details are available. 



All informants agree that the bow and stern pieces, and less commonly 

 the side planks, of large canoes were carved. The figurehead, at the forward 

 end of the bow i)iece, consisted of single large flat tiki face but the designs used 

 on the other parts of the canoe are said to have been either angular-geometric, 

 like those used on house posts, or curvilinear like those used in tattooing. The 

 bow and stern pieces of most canoe models are decorated with angular-geometric 

 designs and these appear to have been more commonly employed on the actual 

 canoes. There was a tendency also to decorate the neck of the bow piece with 

 figures carved in high relief or by the attachment of separate pieces. One old 

 canoe model (PI. XLiii. .-/ ) has, down the center of the bow, two recumbent 

 figures placed face up, with their feet together and their heads touching the front 

 of the breakw'ater and the back of the figure head. They are carved in one piece 

 with the bow, but are in almost full round, the only points of attachment being 

 the tops of their heads and their buttocks. The bow piece of a second old model 

 has down the center of the top a flat longitudinal ridge to which is lashed a 

 thin vertical plank pierced with two large holes. The rear edge and bottom of 

 this plank form a right angle and the forward edge is curved. In the jMcture of 

 a Marquesan canoe given by Conk ( 14, p. 307) the bow has along its center three 

 projections, evidently thin i)lanks two or three feet long, which are recurved at 

 the upper end, like pruning hooks, and have on the back two points. In front of 

 these points large triangular holes are pierced through the plank. Porter (49, p. 

 79) says that some canoes of Ua Huka had on the bow a small board supported 

 by a rudely carved figure of a man. The more recent models show no trace of 

 these neck decorations. They seem to have been replaced bv temporarv decora- 

 tions at an early time. 



A small tiki figure was attached to the tip of some of the stern pieces. 

 Stewart (59. p. 244) says that between the two sticks forming the tail of the canoe 

 "a rude image of a god was suspended in a reclining posture." This is verified 

 by a canoe model which has attached to the tip of the stern ])iece two broad 

 wooden blades which i)roject backward, diverging slightlv. P>etween these blades 

 there is a small tiki figure, facing the canoe in a nearly horizontal position. In Pua 

 Ma'u a small full figure tiki was carved on the top of the tail piece. 



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