ABSTRACT
Sacred canoes are possessed by the chiefs, their ritual elders, and other heads of the most important kinship groups. The ownership of these vessels is complex. Theoretically they are the property of the chief of the dan, despite the fact that the immediate possessor in each case has ordered the building of the craft, paid the craftsmen for it, shelters it in his own canoe shed, has full rights of use over it, and is fully responsible for its upkeep and repair. The blade is lashed to a wooden haft of the conventional Polynesian type but larger than that used for an ordinary working adze, and roughly carved in a series of notches extending part way up the handle. Both this and die sinnet lading have to be renewed every decade or so. The cycle of canoe rites of the monsoon season began after the roi had been placed in the oven to cook slowly through the night.
