3D Photogrammetry as an Aid to Traditional Canoe Building

3D Photogrammetry as an Aid to Traditional Canoe Building

A renaissance in traditional boat building is occurring in Oceania but in some locations ancestral canoe designs are likely lost and so the body of knowledge supporting this renaissance is narrower than in its heyday. Traditional sailing and canoe building skills began to decline initially through colonialist pressure and accelerated in the 20th century with adoption of western values and the introduction of the outboard. This outside pressure has left a break in the chain of local knowledge surrounding canoe design and construction. It is possible that recent resurgence of traditional craft will provide a path to an accurate recreation of local purpose crafted canoes. A powerful and effective tool to ensure skills are passed on, and which can encourage comparative studies between builders, is the use of 3D photo scanning. As Oceania looks to alternatives to fossil fuels for transportation throughout the area traditional sailing techniques and design may have greater purpose for Oceania in development of sustainable transport. 3D photo scanning can help with sharing design ideas on sustainable transportation while aiding to track the connection with the past and future design constructions. With 3D scanning techniques, even if we can’t save all existing older craft, we can capture what they are now and preserve the history before it literally rots away outside somewhere. 3D scanning and photogrammetry can provide an educational platform for schools, the public, traditional boat builders and offers a venue for showcasing traditional craftsmanship as an educational tool. The availability of 3D scanning can offer a record of how boats are being tweaked in the resurgent craft of traditional canoe as it evolves. Through this discussion the author hopes to share 3D scans conducted in Micronesia, gain insight from other like-minded individuals and network for a larger project of capturing digital records of Oceania’s traditional canoes.

Austin Baird

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

November 2021

English

Baird, Austin. 2021. “3D Photogrammetry as an Aid to Traditional Canoe Building.” Edited by Brian Fahy, Hans Van
Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on
Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology URL: https://apconf- much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/698

Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage