Building Canoes in Gulf - School Journal Senior 1 - 2009-V1.1 - English How To

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Levi

Instructional reading explaining how people in the Kikori delta region move between villages using rivers and channels as roads, and canoes as transport. It describes the canoe-building process led by the expert builder Urumi: choosing the right hardwood, preparing and cutting the log, marking key parts, hollowing with a curved adze, smoothing the exterior, carving clan designs, smoking the canoe to reduce insects, and organizing community food preparations. Ends with comprehension questions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time35 min

Building Canoes in Gulf

Getting around the delta

Choosing and preparing the tree

Shaping and hollowing the canoe

Clan designs and smoking

Community feasts and launching

Check Your Understanding

Building Canoes in Gulf School Journal Senior 1, 2009-V1 .1 English How To In our place near Kikori in Gulf Province, there are no roads. There are very few tracks,and the villages don't have air strips. How do we get from village to village? The delta region where we live is covered with rivers and channels. These are our roads and tracks. And canoes and dinghies are our cars and PMV's. You can't build a car, and if you haven't got money you can't buy one. But we can build a canoe, and it doesn't cost us anything. Urumi is an expert canoe builder. He is passing on his skills to the young men so that they will be able to build their own canoes. You have to choose the right kind of tree. A hard wood like It is best to choose a tree that is growing close to the water, or where it can be dragged downhill to the water. First you cut the buttress roots at the base. The base of the trunk is always the front of the canoe. Then you chop the tree down, or cut it down with a chainsaw. You cut off the trunk at the length you want, drag it to the river, and float it to your village. The next stage is to mark it out. Which will be the top, and which will be the part that goes in the water. An expert like Urimi can tell just by looking at the log. If you make a wrong decision, you may find that your canoe leans one way or the other, or won’t go straight. An adze or chainsaw is used to flatten the top, then you start hollowing with a curved adze. This is a long slow job. When it is done, you roll the canoe over and smooth the outside. Each clan has its own special design that they carve and paint on the canoe. Anyone from the region whosees the canoe will know straightaway which clan it belongs to. Then they smoke the canoe with burning coconut fronds. This is to kill insects This is the job of the canoe maker's uncles. The canoe maker must prepare food for the uncles — the bigger or more important the canoe, the bigger the feast. The canoe is pushed into the water. It floats straight and true! Another canoe is ready to carry people and goods along the Kikori waterways. Check Your Understanding 1) Who is Urumi? a) A student b) A fisherman c) The narrator d) An expert canoe builder Check Your Understanding 2) What does Urumi use to hollow out the canoe? a) A curved adze b) A chainsaw c) A knife d) Fire Check Your Understanding 3) What word is used to describe the network of rivers and channels in the region?

FAQs

Who is Urumi in the text?

Urumi is an expert canoe builder who teaches young men how to make their own canoes.

What tool is used to hollow out the canoe?

A curved adze is used to hollow out the canoe.

How do clans make their canoes recognizable?

Each clan carves and paints its own special designs on the canoe, so people can identify the clan immediately.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Levi