Wooden Boat Model

Ships were an important mode of transportation for the Tao(Yami). There was a legend that three strangers once came to the mountain where the Yami lived, wearing a rattan armor and silver helmets, guns in hands, and taught the people how to build ships and make rattan armor. Between 21 and 27 wooden boards were pieced together to form a ship’s hull. The centerboard at the bottom is the most important support to the ship. The edges are made of wood of hardwood like that of the breadfruit tree, which can protect the ship from collisions with rocks. Ships were built to take into consideration the individual height and dominant hand of the people who would paddle it. The seams between the boards were caulked with kapok to seal the hull. The builders used a specific kind of axes which were used only for building ships. There is a traditional Yami saying that “Wooden boat craftsmanship makes a true Yami man .”