The Moriori "canoe"

 

Three fine friends and I are just back from Chatham Island (Rekohu; Wharekauri), 800 kilometers or about 480 miles -- a flight of about 90 minutes -- from Wellington.

The original inhabitants were Moriori, who voyaged to the island from eastern Polynesia.  Sometime in the early 19th century, they were conquered and enslaved by Maori warrior tribes from Taranaki -- easily so, unfortunately, for the Moriori were the Quakers of Polynesia, being believers in peace, not warfare.  There are no full-blooded Moriori left, but plenty of the locals have Moriori genes. And are very attractive people.

The Chatham Museum is moving into new premises, and is not open to the public yet, but we were very fortunate, as we were allowed in for one hour.  As the affable curator told us, we were the first visitors.

Prow

What intrigued me immediately was the Moriori canoe -- waka pūhara.  It can't be called a 'canoe', technically, as it is, in fact, a raft. Tall timber is not indigenous to the island, and so the settlers had to make do with what was available.  In the southern Tuamotus, near Tahiti, the islanders had the same problem, so stitched short planks together with sinnet -- but sinnet comes from coconut, and there are no coconut palms in Wharekauri.  

So, on Chatham Island what timber was available was used for two poles, which served as keels.  Then the base and sides were built up of the flowering stems of flax (Phormium tenax), and weaved together with flax fiber.  Obviously, the result was not at all waterproof, but it was made buoyant with bladders of bull kelp stowed in the sides. 

 There were also two little platforms, evidently one for the paddler to sit on, and the other for his feet.  I wondered if  they slid back and forth on the two poles that carry them, but was unable to find out from this reconstruction.

I'm not sure I would ever want to venture out in one, as the seas around the island get mighty rough, but I was assured that young men paddled to outlying islets, particularly one called 'Bird Island' where they captured albatross (now a protected bird). Well, they had to be young and daring.  Perhaps it was a rite of passage.

But the people say that they were very safe, and some were so large, in fact, that they could carry fifty people.  To where? One really does wonder...