About the Canoe

The canoe was built on the Island of Sonsorol, Palau, in 1968. It was made as a gift for Joseph W. Carnwath, who was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer on Sonsorol at the time. According to the letter in which Joe formally donated the canoe to Guam Museum, it was made "at the instigation of Joe Nestor (son of Chief Nestor Moses and later chief himself)." Bemar Pacifico was the principal craftsman, but, as the photos on this website demonstrate, all able bodied men on the island helped in the construction. Building the canoe was an effort that involved the whole island.

While sailing canoes are traditionally built out of breadfruit wood, this one was carved out of a harder, heavier wood. During a visit to Palau in 2014, Joe learned that the wood is known on the island as fitou (callophylum inophylum). Traditional Sonsorolese canoes at the time were painted red; however, Joe painted his canoe with clear varnish to highlight the craftsmanship and natural beauty of the wood. The main hull of Sonsorolese sailing canoes is asymmetrical by design, in order to provide lift to the outrigger. The twist in the hull and the narrowing at the gunnels of the canoe in Guam airport are drying artifacts. The torsion of the hull may have gotten worse from being hung from the ceiling in the airport for several years.

In a Facebook post (February 5, 2015), Joe explained how the canoe came to be displayed in Guam. He wrote:

"the canoe was made in 1968 and I shipped it to Guam from Koror on the Yap Islander after leaving Sonsorol in November of that year. It was in a crate that I built and stored in the warehouse of one of the shipping companies at the docks in Guam. The agent told me that he had a friend who was a captain of a freighter and could carry the canoe to California as deck cargo for me. It was the end of my two years in the Peace Corps and I returned to Philadelphia ... Sometime later, I received a letter from the agent saying that it couldn't be shipped to California because it was untreated wood. ... I have no idea how the canoe got from the warehouse to Guam airport. I eventually learned that it was at the airport from Pete Black who saw it hanging there. I have no idea who managed to put it together. The crate contained only the wooden parts and two paddles. I have the cord to tie it together here in Pennsylvania, so someone who knew what they were doing managed to get the proper coconut fiber cord and put it together. There is a mystery period between 1969 when it was in the warehouse and its appearance fully assembled at the Guam airport. That must be an interesting story. If only the canoe could talk."

The Sonsorolese Canoe in Guam Airport, 1990

Photograph: Peter Black

In 1990, Joe's friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Peter Black, noted that a plaque identified the canoe as “Property of the Guam Visitors Bureau, donated by Robert Smith.” Despite inquires to the Airport Authorities and the Guam Visitors Bureau, we have not been able to find out anything about Robert Smith or how he came into possession of the canoe. Moreover, no documentation of his donation to the GVB could be found. If you know anything about Robert Smith or how the canoe ended up in the airport, please let us know by submitting a message on the contact page.

The Sonsorolese Canoe hanging from the ceiling in Guam Airport, 2004

Photograph: Justin Andrew

Source: www.friendsoftobi.org

There being no clear record of ownership, Joe donated the canoe to Guam Museum in 2015, with the understanding that the canoe will be exhibited in Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport for the foreseeable future. In the letter of donation, Joe specified that a plaque is to identify the canoe as being from the Island of Sonsorol in all public exhibitions, and Bemar Pacifico is to be credited as the master craftsman.