Rick Feinberg, Department of Anthropology, authored a magazine article “Learning to Handle a Polynesian Dugout Canoe” in American Whitewater, Vol. 55, Issue 4. Ambrose Tuscano (Ed.). Cullowhee, North Carolina
Summary: In 2007-08, Feinberg spent nine months on Taumako, a Polynesian island in the Solomon Islands, trying to learn the local people's maritime skills, which included paddling, poling and sailing a wooden dugout canoe on the island’s reef and in the surrounding ocean. In this article, Feinberg compares the handling of a Taumako dugout to Western canoes and kayaks and the extent to which skills learned on vessels of one type are transferable to the other.
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Additional Comments: American Whitewater is the preeminent organization of whitewater paddlers in the US.