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Datebefore 1944
MediumWood, twine, and paint
DimensionsOverall: 6 1/2 × 21 × 18 in. (16.5 × 53.3 × 45.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Ernest H. Williams, Jr., Professor of Biology Emeritus
Object number2022.11.1
On view
DescriptionThis Model Outrigger Canoe was constructed using wood, twine, and paint. It is hand-carved, with various eye-like symbols painted along its hull. This type of single outrigger canoe is known as a wa, which is a traditional form of canoe used along the coast of New Guinea. According to the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, model outrigger canoes were a common trade object produced by local people for foreign visitors to collect on their travels. This particular model was acquired by the donor’s father, along with a Carved Lizard (2022.11.2), which is also held in the Wellin’s collection, and various other objects, while he was serving in the US Navy during World War II. We know that the donor’s father bartered with people from a local village to acquire these objects while he was stationed in New Guinea on September 28, 1944, because he related the news of his purchases to his wife in the US in a letter written on that date. Objects like this demonstrate how local people in places like New Guinea created objects for a market of military personnel who were looking to purchase souvenirs of their time away from home during World War II .
Additional Details
Alternate Titles
New Guinea Model Outrigger Canoe
Provenance
2022: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art) by transfer from Ernest H. Williams, Jr., Professor of Biology Emeritus;
? 1950s or 1960s: Ernest H. Williams, Jr., by gift from Ernest H. Williams;
1944: Ernest H. Williams by barter from an unknown maker, New Guinea
? 1950s or 1960s: Ernest H. Williams, Jr., by gift from Ernest H. Williams;
1944: Ernest H. Williams by barter from an unknown maker, New Guinea
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