CCM Historical Canoe Print

A recent posting on the Canadian Canoe Museum blog asked readers to help identify a historical print featuring a trade canoe with a serpentine decoration and some accompanying paddles...

My French is quite rusty but the paddle on the left seems to have some measurements. I believe the  "5 pi 2 po" corresponds to 5 pieds 2 pouce which roughly refer to feet and inches (this page on french measurement terms mentions the pieds is equivalent to 1.066 ft and the pouce equal to 1.066 inches)

The other paddle oddly features a caption that reads "pagaye de la Martinique" and looks quite exotic...nothing like the paddles used in the birchbark canoe trade. Maybe just a bit of artistic license to add some flair to artwork?

The shape reminded me of the ceremonial Dayak Borneo paddles posted on back in 2009 that also have and exotic blade design...

Leg Powered Paddling Technique

Many thanks to blog reader Dave who forwarded me the following short video clip of an amazing stand-up paddling technique...


Totally controlled corrective strokes keep the craft moving perfectly in the water. Noticed that the paddle being used is a "pole-grip" type which seems to lend itself perfectly for this type of technique. Not sure if this just one acrobatic paddler showing off, or if this is a developed skill used for practical paddling in the region.

Exotic Paddle Series - Dayak Borneo Paddle

From this EBay source is an exotic paddle is used by the Dayak tribes of East Kalimantan, Borneo Island. The seller mentioned it was carved from one-piece hardwood (no species name provided) and is decorated with an extremely rare and traditional pattern motif. The short paddle only measures 44 inches in length and the width is mere 2.25 inches. Check out the indented T-Grip...


Dayak Paddle; Blade Etchings


Closeup; Interesting T- Grip
Decoration and origin aside, it is quite similar to the dimensions of my Walnut Nuthatch Experiment paddle made from a scrap piece of walnut. A very slender and flexy solo paddle which has limited practical usage but still a good use of the valuable walnut cutoff

Seller: Asia191

Exotic Paddle Series (4) - New Zealand Hoe

A beautifully carved Maori paddle (Hoe) from Steve Pyne. The blade is stunning of course, but check out the hollowed loop on the shaft. Never seen anything like it!


Details & Description from his site:

Hoe is a canoe paddle. The highly decorated versions would normally be used for ceremonial purposes by the Chief's. Decorative work in which notched ridges run parallel to one, two or three plain ridges is termed Rauponga. Within the design the plain ridges are known as Patapata and the hollows between the ridges as Haehae, while the notched ridge itself is termed Pakati. Each individual notch is an Arapata and they form a diamond pattern called Tuara-kuri. The eyes are inlaid with paua amore colourful relative of the abalone. The spirals serve as points of movement or joint marks, for the jaw, shoulders, elbow & hips. The "three fingered hand" is found on many ancestral figures, some also show a back-bending thumb or spur. This shows an avian feature superimposed on the human image.

Length: 1660mm
Width: 155mm

Exotic Paddle Series (3)

Next up in my Exotic Paddle Series is an Australian Rainforest Dance paddle, c. 1930's painted with natural earth ochres. Via LewisPaul.com

A fine and very rare rainforest paddle with traditional diamond patterning in ochres to the front and back of the bi-convex ovoid 'head', with an undecorated carved wood handle. Paddles such as this are clearly related in shape to the traditional rainforest clubs, which in their early 20th century incarnations were also painted with ochred designs related to those on the large shields. As opposed to those traditional large softwood shields, which were used in warfare, these later variants, together with the smaller early 20th century rainforest shields, were used purely ceremonially, usually in dance. There are very few examples known of this 'dance specific' paddle format, as opposed to 'fighting format' artefacts (clubs, shields, boomerangs) brought over into the realm of ritual by appropriate decoration.

Published: Christie's catalogue Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 30 August, 2005 (lot128).

Exotic Paddle Series (2)

Here's the second post in my Exotic Paddle Series. Some interesting carved designs from Papua New Guinea.

(From MichaelHamson.com)

This rare paddle comes from the Papuan Gulf area. Canoe paddles from this area are few and far between and this example has striking ancestral faces carved on each side of the blade. The piece was collected by George Craig in the early 1960s. The paddle is 75 ½" in length with the blade being 27" long. The piece dates to the 1940s. Sold

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From the Mossgreen Gallery (via The Australian Art Network)

artist: Unknown
Painted and Carved Paddle Circa 1940’s, Papuan Gulf, Length 133cm

Exotic Paddle Series (1)

While winter has set in and my own paddlemaking hobby slows down, I thought I'd begin a series of posts on exotic paddles from around the world. Here's a pic from the Australian Art Network. A pair of ceremonial paddles from Borneo from an unknown artisan


Ceremonial Paddles - Dayak, Borneo
I find the blade shapes with their soft curves and blunt arrowhead style tip very appealing and might try this design in the future.