Floating on waves of time: canoe model from XIX century

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2020-52-4/103-114

Abstract

In the ship storage of the central Naval Museum there is a model of a Micronesian canoe, which dates back to the first quarter of the XIX century. The model was carved according to the scheme of Micronesian canoe that was made during the voyages of Otto von Kozebue in 1815-1818. Thus, the model is an object of exceptional value for understanding the traditional navigational culture of the region. However, the item has not been studied yet. Firstly, we attributed the model by investigating the historical context of it’s appearance in the museum collection. Then, accurate technical and constructive data were acquired by measuring of the item and making a theoretical drawing of it; the data were uploaded to digital graphic programs. Micronesian canoes are the hi-tech objects of traditional culture, which demonstrate the original shipbuilding principles, based on the empirical knowledge of physical laws of the islanders. To activate the investigative potential of the model we need to have exact technical parameters. It is the only way to analyze the constructive specifications and solve the questions of seafaring possibilities of the canoes.  This publication is the first in the series, devoted to this item.

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