Identifier: easternpacificla00chri (find matches)
Title: Eastern Pacific lands ; Tahiti and the Marquesas islands
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Christian, F. W. (Frederick William), b. 1867 Rouse, Martin Luther Ranfurly, Uchter John Mark Knox. 5th earl of, 1856-
Subjects:
Publisher: London : R. Scott
Contributing Library: Brigham Young University Hawaii, Joseph F. Smith Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives

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the body of thevessel. Perhaps it has a closer likeness still to a Chinesejunk, with its high latticed stern-work. Possibly some suchwreck gave the natives the model, as tradition says was thecase at Yap, in the Western Carolines. The Tahitian Pahiwas often quite 80 feet in length, broad in the middle, verycarefully and neatly planked over inside, forming a sort ofrude bulkhead or inner casing and had a lofty carved sternrising up into one or two substantial posts, terminating in aquaint human form, in style recalling the grotesque figureson the Hydah totem-poles on Vancouver Island. Both thePahi and the Karika were propelled by a huge Te, or mat-sail of pandanus-leaf, shaped like our shouider-of-muttonsail. Their name for mast, Tira (Samoan Tila), recalls thePersian Tir, which means the very same thing. The bigPolynesian ocean-going canoe, with its Pora, or deck-house,reminds one very much of the Bugis Prahu or sailing vesseldescribed by the naturalist, Wallace, in which he went from
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HEAD OF A MARQUESAN KUKU OR WAR-CLUB. Appendix A 201 Macassar to Arn. In North Celebes these vessels are calledBolato. These two kinds of craft, already becoming fast obsoletein Captain Cooks time, were mostly built on the island ofBorabora, or Porapora, near Raiatea, in the Leeward Group,over 100 miles away, so quite possibly the skill of its inhabi-tants in ship-building gave its name to this PolynesianPortsmouth : The Land of the Big Deck House Canoes.A well-built PaM, with a favourable wind, could sail 120miles a day with ease. In the early days of Polynesian nautical enterprise (about1400 a.d. and earlier) they would make voyages of over athousand miles at a time, taking the sun as their compassby day and the moon and stars by night, adapting the timeof their sailings to the shifting of the trade wind, which theycalled Faa-Rua, in modern TahitianHaa-Piti, The windthat blowTs two ways, veering from north-east to south-westin its appointed season. 4. THE ARIOI OR STROLLING PLAYERS

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