Outrigger canoe (model)

This is a model of an outrigger canoe from the north coast of Irian Jaya near Jayapura. The hull is dugout and decorated with carved motifs painted in black and reddish brown pigments. The gunwales are lashed to the hull with plant fibre. A plank built platform sits over the canoe and is attached to a structure of two booms joined a long outrigger float pointed at both ends. The bow of the canoe is decorated with a carved animal or figurehead.

Model canoes

Models of canoes and other sailing vessels from the Pacific have long been popular collectors items and there are many in Te Papa's collections. This model canoe has some significant detailing in its painted motifs and the careful reproduction of lashings and decorative fittings. However, with the development of tourism in the Pacific in the twentieth century, the demand for canoe models increased, along with a general decline in the standards of workmanship.

Acquisition History

This model was made in 1986 and given to New Zealand diplomat Ruth Nuttal during her assignment to the region. It was one of several gifts offered  in gratitude for a small development project grant that enabled the village to build a small dam and water pipe for the provision of drinking water.