Tepuke (sailing canoe)

The tepuke is a type of sailing canoe that was once common in the Temotu province of the Solomon Islands. Tepuke carried people and goods along trading networks between the many small island communities in the region. However, by the late twentieth century the arrival of new forms of sea transport saw the use of tepuke decline.

Recovery of knowledge
Concerned that the knowledge of building and sailing tepuke was disappearing, a local former policeman, William Keizy, consulted with family and community elders and led the construction of this tepuke. William gave the vessel the name Parangaina (impossibility) because no one believed that he could build it.

Dimensions and materials
Parangaina is seven metres long, although a full size tepuke can be up to twenty metres in length. The main hull is made from a single hollowed out log. The tepuke's 'engine' is its huge crab claw-like sail made from pandanus leaf mats carefully stitched together. A small shelter on the deck keeps cargo and provisions dry during sea voyages.

History
Parangaina was launched on the island of Taumako in 1997. This event coincided with other initiatives on Taumako to recover the knowledge of building and sailing these craft. Parangaina arrived at Te Papa in 1998 and was later assembled by William Keizy for its first public display in New Zealand.