[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

204 MALEKULA -
a certain tree which grows in South Santo, and was brought
thence to Malekula in cigar-shaped coco-nut baskets. What the
traders of the north-east brought from Omba, or those of the
south-east from Epi and Arnbrym, is unfortunately not recorded.
The people of Mewun appear never to have been interested
in navigation, and indeed until recently they had no canoes,
but only bamboo rafts which were quite unseaworthy. In the
north-west, however, the people of Lambumbu show themselves
to have been as energetic seafarers as the natives of the east
coast. The great sea-going canoes in which the men of the
south, east, and north-east were wont to go on trading expeditions
are now no longer built. They were of two types : the nuangk
wala used by the people of the east coast to the north of Port
Sandwich; and the nimbembzw used by the men of the south
coast and of Lambumbu. A nimbembew was built to carry
some thirty rnen or more. It was hollowed from the trunk of
a large tree with a forward curving prow, carved to represent the
head of a bird, and called nimbongon nawangk (= " the mouth
of the canoe "). Below it, on the bow, the design of a human
face was cut, similar to those carved on the large village gongs.
The hull having been prepared, the outrigger booms (newinu)
were ï¬Åxed in position. They were laid at right angles to the
hull in such a way that they projected some little distance over
the water on the far side from the outrigger, and across these
projecting booms, hamboos were lashed to make a platform
(mu/angk ambu) on which men could sit. A similar platform
of barnboos was fastened to the booms on the same side of the
hull as the outrigger, reaching approximately halflway between
it and the float. After the booms had been ï¬Åxed in position,
boards were inserted between them along the edge of the gunwale,
the height of these boards being equal to the diameter of the
boom, so that a level base was provided to which to fasten the
wash-strakes (new). Each of these consisted of a single plank,
running the length of the hull and set at a slight angle to it,
leaning outwards. How many outrigger booms there were,
how they were attached to the float (nesnn), and other such
technical details of construction are, unfortunately, not recorded.
When travelling in a nimbmibew the paddlers sat on the outer
edge of each platform, while the other men squatted in the
hull i.n which also the cargo was carried. It is interesting to