Linton — TJic Marquesas Islands 315 



distance up the blade. The two surfaces meet in a rounded edge into which the wings of the 

 blade blend gradually. The knob proper is set at an angle with the neck, causing it to pro- 

 ject slightly backward from the line of the blade. It is sharpened anteriorly and posteriorly ex- 

 cept at the rear end of the outer surface, where it is sometimes flat. The knob thickens gradu- 

 ally from the neck to a point about two-thirds of its length froni the base, then thins gradually 

 to the tip, which is finished with a blunt edge. 



This knob is the most characteristic feature of Marquesan paddles and its uniformity 

 in shape and proportion in different specimens seems to indicate that it served some definite 

 purpose. A number of explanations were given by the natives, the usual one being that it 

 caused the paddle to make a pleasant sound when pushed through the water. Other explana- 

 tions are : That the knob made the paddle a more effective club in sea fights ; that it prevented 

 the blade from being splintered when pushing off the rocks ; that by means of it the paddle 

 could be rested securely on the forked top of the outrigger ; and that it kept the blade from 

 side slipping in the water. The knob does fulfill all these purposes. A somewhat similar 

 knob appears on paddles from Easter Island and i\Iangareva. 



The manufacture of paddles of this sort called for a carefully preconceived design and 

 great skill in execution. The finished instrument justifies the care expended upon it, however, 

 for in balance and effectiveness these curiously shaped paddles are greatly superior to the 

 European forms. 



DECORATION OF PADDLES 



In pre-Buropean times paddles were decorated with carving applied to the 

 knob at the upper end of the shaft, the blade, and possibly the terminal knob. 

 Carved paddles are still manufactured in the Marquesas for sale to Europeans, and 

 practically all specimens now in museums belong to this class. No authentic an- 

 cient specimen was seen, and it is impossible to tell whether the designs employed 

 in the modern paddles are the same as those used in ancient times. 



Two distinct techniques were employed. In paddles made of iiiio wood the 

 designs were simply carved upon the surface. In paddles made of hufu wood 

 (Barringfonia speciosa) on the other hand, the surface was first charred to 

 blacken it, and the designs were then cut through the blackened wood to the na- 

 tural white wood underneath, making the finished design show in sharply con- 

 trasted black and white. Hntu wood was rarely used for real paddles, and it 

 seems doubtful whether this second technique was applied to paddle decoration 

 in ancient times. 



The knob at the upper end of the paddle shaft was carved either into two 

 small tiki figures, placed back to back, or into two heads similarly arranged. 

 The convention of representation was the usual one, flat features, spectacle eyes, 

 and broad mouth. In some paddles the space between the figures was pierced. 



The paddle blades were elaborately carved on both the upper and lower 

 surfaces, and in one specimen the decoration extended a short distance up the 

 shaft. The area to be decorated was divided transversely into three or more 

 zones which were treated as separate units. The lowest of these zones was semi- 

 circular, the outer edge corresponding to the bottom of the paddle blade. There 

 was a strong tendency to make a large semicircular figure the principle feature of 



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