Subject: Re: baidarka Leaf-shaped Paddles - More musings
From: Harvey Golden (qayaq@pacifier.com)
Date: Mon Mar 06 2000 - 01:03:41 EST
Dear Craig,
>From what I can tell (with my limited French), Neyret compiled the volumes
from 45 years of research. Got my copy in Rotterdam-- couldn't believe my
eyes; I still never worked out the $ exchange, figured anything was worth
it.
As for his sketches, etc. . . I don't know if he is travelled (like Hornell)
or if the work is entirely from book learnin'. Each section is accompanied
by deatiled references. . . National Geographic Magazine figures prominently
as do the works of Paris, Hornell, etc. (Nat Geo is an incredible source
for images of all sorts of boats, including some fine kayak images!)
Again, his Arctic section is tragically naive, suggesting he was working
from poor illustrations and descriptions; other areas in his work appear
very strong and infomed (even though I'm not!)
Cheers,
Harvey
P.S. Say. . . how about the publisher's address:
Association Des Amis Des Musees De La Marine
Palais de Chaillot
75016 PARIS, France
-- Bon Chance, Mes Amis!
----- Original Message -----
From: Craig O'Donnell <dadadata@friend.ly.net>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 05, 2000 9:19 PM
Subject: Re: baidarka Leaf-shaped Paddles - More musings
> >P.S. Was a walking in the woods today. . . what does leaf-shape mean? We
> >have Cottonwood, Maple, and Oak out here. . .
>
> Well, like I said, lanceolate. That's preferable to "pointed", eh? We
have
> trees in Maryland too, but right now not much in the way of leaves. A few
> intrepid daffodils and my bamboo plants - that's all.
>
> Yes, Neyret is astounding and what's even more astounding is that it's
> impossible to obtain the book from libraries in the USA. I know because
> I've tried, these boats being a particular interest of mine. Always come
up
> empty-handed. If anyone knows a source I'm all ears.
>
> But the stuff which I guess became the collected book is in a French
> nautical review, I believe called NEPTUNIA, extending over a period of
> years in the mid-60s. Even though I read French after a fashion I've yet
to
> dope out how his bits are indexed, if at all. They seem to have been
> published as "Supplements", short monographs, and I've had a chance to
read
> through a few of these though never to read through all of them. Just to
> hear that they exist in book form is encouraging <chuckle> but I may
resort
> to copying NEPTUNIA down at the US Naval Academy library.
>
> Where did you get your copy?
>
> What I don't know since I've never seen the book is the date his sketches
> are from. For example, in China, the traditional yuloh blades in areas
with
> significant Western contact were often replaced by "broken oars of a
> Western pattern" as one observer had it (Mariners Mirror, don't recall the
> date, but I've got it somewhere). After all, why waste a perfectly good
> blade?
>
> The point is simply that if the sketches were taken from examples ca 20th
> century, we don't know whether they'd been influenced by longboat oars
seen
> by the islanders or some other factor. Easter Island is a special case due
> to the lack of trees. I'd be hesitant to draw any conclusions at all from
> anything nautical originating there when compared to other Polynesian
> islands.
>
> My impression with Tahitian paddles is that there is a species of tree
with
> large buttresses which can be carved to make these pointy-oval paddles.
But
> I'm not interested in paddles per se and anything I remember was picked up
> in passing while reading about other stuff.
>
> I don't mean to be argumentative at all, just to clarify my previous brief
> note.
>
>
> Craig O'Donnell
> The Proa FAQ <http://www.cyber-dyne.com/~jkohnen/proafaq.html>
> The Cheap Pages <http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/>
> Sailing Canoes, Polytarp Sails, Bamboo, Chinese Junks,
> American Proas, the Bolger Boat Honor Roll,
> Plywood Boats, Bamboo Rafts, &c.
> _________________________________
>
> -- Professor of Boatology
> -- Junkomologist
> -- Macintosh kinda guy
> Friend of Wanda the Wonder Cat, 1991-1997.
> _________________________________
>
>
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