Abstract
AN exhibition of the main types of native boats, and their distribution throughout the world, will be opened at the Science Museum, South Kensington, on December 2. The exhibition deals with the boats which are used for transport, and for fishing, in the rivers and along the coasts of the different continents, but is not concerned with the larger ocean-going vessels, or with the steel-built ships of the more civilised races. In any locality the design of a boat and its method of construction depend on the service for which the boat is required, the material available, the racial affinities of the builder, and the contacts of the builder and of his ancestors with other races. As a result of the interaction of these factors, we find very great differences between boats used under apparently similar conditions in neighbouring districts, while we equally find marked similarities between boats built by totally different races and in widely separate parts of the world. Thus punt-shaped boats are commonly used on nearly all the rivers and inland waterways of Europe and over a great part of Asia. Their form is suitable for use on rivers, and long planks, produced either by splitting or by sawing, can be obtained along the banks of these rivers. But it is at least doubtful whether the prevalence of this punt-shaped type indicates any racial affinities between east and west, or even early contacts. Contrary to the usual practice, the exhibits are being arranged in accordance with their forms and types of construction, instead of geographically, and it is hoped that this grouping will serve to bring into prominence differences and similarities which the more usual arrangement has failed to disclose.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Exhibition of Types of Native Boats. Nature 132, 851 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132851b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132851b0