Page:The Melanesians Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore.djvu/314

292 islands as in Fiji; but the aka, angga, wangga, of the Banks' Islands and New Hebrides, is doubtless the same thing with the wangga of Fiji. The large sailing canoes, which in the New Hebrides will carry forty men, are also single trunks dug out and shaped for the hull, with sides built up and decks laid with planks tied on with sinnet. Before the time when the labour trade made the natives afraid to move about, and 'recruiting' meant destruction of canoes for the capture of their crews, red 'butterfly' sails were the common and pleasing ornament of an island scene in the New Hebrides and Banks' groups.

To take the example of a Mota aka. The sail, epa, was formed of mats, woven by women, and sewn together by men with needles of tree-fern wood, or the bone of a ray's sting. The mast, turgae, with a forked butt, was stepped upon the midmost of the three yoke-pieces, iwatia, which connected the outrigger, sama, with the hull. The yoke-pieces were fastened to the outrigger by being lashed to wooden pegs fixed into it. Upon the foot of the mast was stepped again the forked end of a boom, panei; both were stayed with ropes, tali, and in the triangular space between the mast and boom was spread the sail, lashed to both, and sinking in a graceful curve between the two. A large paddle for steering, turwose, was