208 



G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



***^.^^&f^mmmkt 





l 

 i 



£ i 



y-A. 





- "/«• 



Fig. 140. Boat of Numfor; Geelviuk Bay. 



same pièce, a short cross pièce, sometimes also a large, wooden ring, as on N°. 677 (PI. XXIV, 

 figs. 12, I2 a ). The canoës of Angâdi, in which the expédition navigated Lake Jamûr and the 

 Urama River, flowing towards the south, are fairly broad, without outriggers and without 

 side boards, and nothwithstanding. of a large carrying capacity. Stem and stern are straight 



up and down, whilst on the 

 inside small pièces of wood 

 hâve been left, to fix on planks, 

 as seats. I hâve not noticed 

 on them any arrangements 

 for sailing, although during 

 the visit of the expédition, 

 6* — 12A August 1903, a fresh 

 S. E. monsoon blew every 

 afternoon on the lake. Neither 

 did I observe any différence 

 between the men's and the 

 women's canoës. A great part 

 of the inhabitants had, however, 

 fled in boats, and of thèse I 

 only saw three. 



The ornamental prows 

 used in New Guinea, are well worth noticing, not only because they are so widely distributed 

 (on the north coast of the Netherl. territory they are only wanting at Takar (De Clercq 

 and SCHMELTZ [1893, 93]), partly even (UHLE [1886, 2]) running parallel with the extension 

 of the Melanesian race, but also because, differing in the various territories, they offer a 



means to define culture areas, ail the 

 more important, because to thèse ornaments 

 the opinion of HADDON [1894, 250] may 

 be applied that, "the art of a people has 

 an intimate relation with their religion 

 (using this term in the widest significance). 

 A considérable portion of savage art is, 

 or has been primarily religious in char- 

 acter". According to Uhle'S opinion, 

 several times confirmed for Geelvink Bay, 

 the objects illustrated in the bow or stern 

 hâve a talismanic meaning, and the infor- 

 mation obtained about a stern ornament 

 of Masi Masi (De Clercq and Schmeltz 

 [1893, 97, N°. 473]), viz. to attract the fishes, possibly means something of this kind. Amongst 

 ail the varieties in the shape, the ornamental prows of H. B. offer a uniformity of the motives, 

 in which some of the largest inhabitants of the sea are illustrated. The S-shaped, 

 coloured ornamental prow (N os . 65S — 661) is exclusively carried in front; this to correct the 



Fig. 141. Small boats at Manolci 



