MANGAREVAN ISLAND CANOE TIPAIRUA

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

MANGAREVAN ISLAND CANOE TIPAIRUA

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:05 pm

Stanley Gibbons give for this stamp issued by Pitcairn Island in 1967 a “mangarevan canoe”, Mangarevan is the largest island of the Gambier Group in French Polynesia and the canoe she were using is the “tipairua”.

Mangarevan is the island which has now regular boat connection with Pitcairn Island.
Taratahi c 1325 also given on the stamp, the English meaning is “Isolated” and it is a Maori word, a google search give many names with taratahi in New Zealand but not in a connection with Pitcairn Island.

Tipairua was used in the Society Islands and eastern Pacific, is a double hulled traveling canoe used mostly by local chiefs for short and medium-length voyages.
The tipairua canoe is now extinct.
She differed from similar craft of the islands by the flat horizontal pieces that projected forward as much as 1.5 – 1.8m. from the hulls themselves and the sharply rising stern; generally topped by a tall vertical ornamentation. Basal dugout hulls raised by two broad sewn strakes in short lengths; deep U in cross section. Straight or slightly concave cutwater; bottoms had slight rocker at the bows, but sterns swept up 4.6-5.5m. above water level. Stern decorations were carved cylinders, square pieces, or carved grotesque figures’ bow sometimes carried low decorations. The number of crosspieces connecting the two hulls varied as to position and number, with as many as 18 in some cases. They were evenly spaced or clustered at the ends with more widely spaced pieces under the hut that spanned the 2 hulls. Bow ends enclosed, terminating in breakwaters.
Stepped 1 or 2 vertical masts one well forward, the 2nd forward of amidships and abaft the hut. Tall vertical mat sail; yard extended along the foot and up the leech, recurving at the top well forward of the mast. Also paddled. Steered with a paddle.
Reported lengths 9 – 24 m. beam 0.6m (must be the beam of 1 dugout). Depths 0.9 – 1.2m.
(The stamp shows a canoe without a hut, so most probably only used for short voyages.)

Source: Aak to Zumbra a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft.
Pitcairn Island 1967 ½p sg 64, scott ?
Nauru 1975 20c sg134, scott?

The canoe depict on this 75 F stamp of French Polynesia is a “tipairua” canoe and is designed after a painting made by Herb Kane see: http://herbkanehawaii.com/image-catalog ... ahiti-c34/

Anatoi URL does not work for my it is: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16414&p=19335&hilit=11387#p19335



French Polynesia 1976 75f sg229, scott?
Attachments
1967 tipairua canoe.jpg
1976 marquesas 1.jpg
1975 Polynesian-double-hulled-canoe tipairua .jpg
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Anatol
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: MANGAREVAN ISLAND CANOE TIPAIRUA

Post by Anatol » Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:37 pm

See also viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11387

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