CHAPTER VI. 

 NAVIGATION. 



Settlements on the sea, on lakes and on rivers often make the use of crafts for fishing 

 or communication necessary ; where the houses themselves are built in the water, not even 

 connectée! with the shore by foot bridges, boats are equally indispensable. It lias also been 

 noticed that people, who do not live on a navigable river, but, in order to reach their 

 gardens, forests or trading connections, must cross a large river, too deëp to ford or too 

 broad to hâve a tree dropping over it as a bridge, use a raft or other craft, which is always 

 to be found at the spot on the shore. The expédition came across such a craft on the Tami 

 River for the use of the MÔso people. Papuans, who are in the habit of using canoës, are 

 certainly ail able to swim, and often risk themselves on floating timber through the surf 

 (FlNSGH [1888, 344], HoRST [1889, 246]). Amongst the most primitive crafts, the catamarans, 

 composed of some four logs, may be mentioned, as met with by FlNSCH [1888, 232] at the 

 East Cape, or those of stems of palm leaves which FlNSCH [1. c. 323] saw more to the west. 



The universal craft of New Guinea is simply a hollowed tree trunk, the produce 

 of the stone period. None the less, the nature and amount of the labour, on account of the 

 poor instruments with which the Papuan has to make his boats, are very arduous, and for 

 this reason admiration is due to him. The longest of thèse dug-outs reach, as MODERA 

 [1830, 78] reported of the south-west coast, a length of 60 feet, but on other coasts also 

 very long crafts are known. The construction generally takes place to a greater or smaller 

 extent on the trunk as it has fallen down, and afterwards, as it is too heavy to be carried, 

 it must be shoved towards the shore along a path more or less cleared, and covered cross ways 

 with numerous thin, smooth stems. ERDWEG [1902, 363] saw this done by the Tumleo people; 

 to the south of Wendèsi I myself was able to follow such an artificial road to the sea over a 

 distance of about 25 minutes walking. It is therefore évident that in selecting a tree, the 

 distance to the shore, and the nature of the ground to be passed, must be taken into account 

 and that well shaped, favorably placed trees, belong to the most highly treasured forest pos- 

 sessions of the Papuan, which no stranger may eut or damage with impunity. MOOLENBURGH 

 [1903, 221] relates, how the population of Karwân assserted its rights to trees, fit for this 



Nova Guinea. III. Ethnography. 25 



