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The Maori Canoe

[argument and introduction]

page 176

Contents

>The waka tete, or fishing-canoe. Marked by plain figurehead and lack of adornment. Descriptions of ordinary canoes. The waka tiwai, or river-canoe. The Henley canoe, an abnormal form. Mending and patching canoes. Canoe fleets. Arrival of European vessels. Rafts and floats. Canoes of Chatham Islands. Ceremonial matters pertaining to canoes. The mauri. Canoes under tapu.

We have now to deal with the ordinary canoes, and of these the fishing-canoes were the most important. These were vessels that were of a good size and fitted with top-strakes, and the hull of which might be in one piece, or two, possibly three if no big long-trunked trees were available. These craft were in many cases provided with Fig. 78 A Small Fishing-canoe. A. Hamilton, photo prow and stern pieces of an inferior type, as will be seen by referring to the illustrations. In no case were the highly ornate fixings of the waka taua attached to the waka tete. The latter were employed in sea-fishing, for ordinary purposes of traffic, and also in warlike expeditions.

"The waka tete" says Tuta Nihoniho, "were canoes with plain figurehead, were smaller than the war-canoes, and were used as Fig. 79 Two Figureheads of Fishing-canoes. page 177 fishing-canoes. The fittings, such as the bow and stern pieces, were plainly designed, and were fixtures, not being removed when the vessel was laid up, as was the case with the waka taua. The waka tete was fitted with top boards, and might, or might not, have one or two haumi, this depending upon the size of the trees available when making them."

The plain, armless figureheads on these canoes are known as tete, or pakoko, or pakurukuru: hence the names of waka tete and waka pakoko applied to these canoes. Forster (1773) seems to have seen but second-class canoes at Queen Charlotte Sound: "All those we now saw had not that profusion of carving and fine workmanship mentioned in Captain Cook's first voyage, which he observed in the canoes of the northern islands; but seemed rather old and worn out; they were, not, however, different in the general conformation from those described there, and always had the distorted human face at the head, the high stern, and the neat sharp-pointed paddles."

Fig. 80 Three Figureheads of Fishing-canoes.

An old canoe of this class, named "Waiapu," now in the Dominion Museum, comes from Whanga-nui. (See fig. 42, p. 127.) It is said to be about one hundred years old: canoes of totara timber are remarkably durable. The length of the hull is 47½ ft. The width between the upper parts of the top-strakes, in the middle of the vessel, is 3 ft. 7 in., but the width of the hull at that part is but 2 ft. 8 in., showing how these top-strakes increase the width of a canoe as well as its depth. The depth of the vessel in the middle is 16 in.

The top-strakes of this canoe are each 45 ft. in length, and each is a single plank without join. They are 5 in. deep at the stern end. 9 in. in the middle, and 5¾ in. at the prow end. This tapering-off page 178from the middle towards both ends was a prominent feature of these planks, and counteracted or reduced the curve (sheer) in the sides of the hull. The spaces left uncovered by these planks at the prow and stern ends are occupied by the figurehead and stern-piece, which rest upon and cover the extremities of the hull, and are lashed to the ends of the top-strake planks. The upper part of these side-planks is 1¼ in. in thickness, which is reduced to 1 in. at 2 in. below the rim. There are eight thwarts, each 4 in. wide, and placed 4½ ft. apart, being lashed to the top-strakes in the orthodox manner, with lashings countersunk.

The cross-pieces supporting the flooring are from 18 in. to 20 in. apart, but no tokai (uprights) or longitudinal supports for the cross-pieces have been provided, which may be accounted for by the fact that the deck or flooring was inserted since the arrival of the canoe at the museum. The floor is 8 in. below the level of the thwarts, and just below the level of the batten covering the junction of the hull and top-strake. The floor is of the style employed in fishing-canoes on the east coast. In each of the spaces between the thwarts is formed a receptacle for fish, so that each man might keep his catch separate. (See fig. 82, p. 180; also fig. 75, B, p. 160.) These have been formed by leaving an open space 18. in square in the flooring between the thwarts. At each corner of these square openings a rod has been lashed in an upright position, its lower end resting on the bottom of the hull, its upper end projecting 10 in. or 11 in. above the flooring. Other intermediate rods have been placed between them, making eight in all. These are kept in Fig. 81 Projecting Heads of Figureheads of Fishing-canoes. page 179 position by being lashed to the flooring-rods. A piece of pliant aka (stem of a climbing-plant) has then been bent so as to form a hoop, on which hoop a net has been made of strips of undressed Phor-mium leaf. This hoop net has then been attached to the upright rods above mentioned, the hoop being tied to the upper ends of the rods, and the round net hanging down inside the uprights so that its lower part is just below the level of the floor. Here, then, are the fish-baskets used by the men in the canoe.

The outer batten covering the top-strake join of this canoe has been painted black and white in alternate bands about 4 in. in width.

The canoe known as "Te Heke Rangatira" is a modern one, made in the "seventies," and was used principally for carrying cargo on the Wai-rarapa Lake. It was presented to the Dominion Museum by Ani Hiko, a chieftainess of the Rakai-whakairi clan of the Wai-rarapa district. It was named after the migration of her ancestors from Heretaunga to Wai-rarapa, under Te Rangi-tawhanga and other chiefs, eight generations ago. (See fig. 14, p. 63.)

Te Rangi-tawhanga - Te Umu-tahi - Te Mahaki - Te Hiha - Te Weranga - Hautu-te-rangi - Te Piata-o-te-rangi - Tama-hikoia - Ani hiko

The hull of this canoe is a very strong one, and is 46½ ft. in length. Width (inside measurement) of hull in middle, 44 in. The width between top-strakes at the same place is 4 ft. Unfortunately, the top-strakes are of European make and fixing, are utterly unlike Maori work, and do not illustrate native methods. The fact of the top-strakes not being reduced in size towards the extremities has necessitated the packing-up of the prow and stern pieces in order to bring them page 180 Fig. 82 Interior of Hull of Fishing-canoe, showing Netted Receptacles for each Fisherman' s Take. Note that the net should have occupied the whole of the space, which is somewhat too big in this sketch. Sketch by Miss E. Richardson flush with the upper parts of the strakes. This canoe has been fitted with the attachments of a waka taua, but the result is disappointing.

Canoe No. Me1869 in the Dominion Museum is another of the tete class. (See fig. 41, p. 125.) It is 42 ft. in length; width of hull in middle, 3 ft. 4 in; width between top-strakes, 3 ft. 11 in; depth in middle, 17 in. The top-strakes and short haurni of this canoe have already been described. In this canoe the sheer, or upward sweep of the gunwale from the middle towards both ends, amounts to 9½ in.—that is to say, the sides of the vessel are 9½ in. lower in the middle than at the ends. This may be taken as being about the usual curve.

Another canoe of this class in the Dominion Museum consists of the hull only, the top-strakes having been removed. It is 36 ft. 8 in. long, and 24 in. wide in the middle, inside measurement; its depth is about 7½ in. The edges or upper parts of the sides are 1 in. in thickness, but the thickness increases downward to the keel, as is usual.

Some river-canoes seen on the Whanga-nui River in 1821 ranged from 34 ft. to 61 ft. in length. Some of these have been fitted as waka tete in former days. Follow a few particulars concerning dimensions:—

Length Greatest Width
34 ft. 38 in.
52 ft. 47 in.
61 ft. 47 in.

This largest canoe, named "Te Wehi-o-te-rangi," was formerly a noted racer, and has a sharp, boat-like keel. It was paddled up rapids where other canoes had to be poled. (See fig. 86, p. 182.) A canoe 31 ft. in length had a beam measurement of 23 in.

page 181

Fig. 83 An Unusual Form of Figurehead, in Auckland Museum. Said to have been fitted to a fishing-canoe near Mokau. W. R. Reynolds, photo

Fig. 84 Canoes on Whanga-nui River (1921). Dominion Museum, photo

page 182

Fig. 85 A Fishing canoe. A. Hamilton, photo

Fig. 86 Old Canoe named "Wehi o te Rangi" at Koriniti, Whanga-nui River, (See p. 180.) Rihipeti, of the Pamoana clan, poses for the camera. Dominion Museum, photo