Traditional canoe to be built at arts fest

Posted on Apr 14 2008

This year’s Flame Tree Arts Festival will feature the construction of a traditional Carolinian canoe—a sacred event opened to the public only in recent years.

Henry John Yarofalpiy, the son of master navigator Pius Mau Piailug of Yap State, will demonstrate the construction of a meta’bwil, or trolling canoe, using techniques passed from father to son through generations.

The project will include the weaving of ropes from coconut husks fibers, selecting and harvesting of a breadfruit tree for the hull and other parts of the canoe, and actual carving and assembly.

The Flame Tree Arts Festival is Micronesia’s largest annual arts and culture celebration. This year’s festival—with the theme “Fatta I Irenciata, Abwáári Yaasch Schówammwir, Showcase our Inheritance”—will be held at Civic Center on Saipan on April 24 and April 25 from 6pm to 10pm, April 26 from 9am to 10pm, and April 27 from 9am to 11pm.

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