Of Pacific Islands Issues

The Canoe and Ship Stamps Of Pacific Islands Issues

Written for

Pim By K.N.

STAMP collectors who specialise in ships and shipping have had their appetites whetted by the presentation of an array of in testing nautical designs from the Pacific islands.

The lakatoi of Papua was, for ex ample, first illustrated on the stamps in use throughout that Ter ritory in 1901, and this peculiar native sailing-cum-trading vessel was again depicted on the 4d, 6d and 1/3 stamps included in the pictorial series of 1932, The Id and 2d designs in the 1934 series from Papua commemorating the 50th anniversary of British pro tection, pictured natives and white officials on board Commodore Ers kine’s ship, HMS Nelson, at Port Moresby, in 1884.

The five 1938 stamps marking the jubilee of Papua as a British pos session, typified the 9,424 tons TSS Katoomba, well-known to pre-war Island tourists, moored at Port Moresby wharf.

The 1939 Papuan stamps carried designs of a native man and woman poling canoes along a river, with mountains in the background; and one section of the tripartite design in the 1935 airmail stamps under the New Guinea title showed an old-fashioned gold bullion ship.

Chief motif was a scene at the Bu lolo goldfields.

The 1/- denomination included in the 1952 (the first issue) for the combined Territory of Papua and New Guinea took as subject a typi cal picture of the “lakatoi,” with its huge crab-like sail, based on the original 1901 Papuan format.

It was fitting that four of the stamps in the pictorial series circu lated by Pitcairn Island in 1940 re lated to the Bounty episode. The 2d and 6d values portrayed indivi dual portraits of HM Armed Brig Bounty —the 2d featuring Lieut.

Bligh, while the Id and 2/6 designs Fletcher Christian, one of the mu tineers, on the bridge of the Bounty.

It is of interest to note that last year (1953) the 5/- stamp of a new issue from Tonga also com memorated the mutiny of the Bounty —with a rowing-boat and the vessel off Tofua, in 1789.

An island schooner appeared on the 2/- stamp placed on sale in Tonga during 1897, with the island of Haapi in the background. In 1951, the issue coinciding with the 50th anniversary of British- Tongan Friendship, featured HMNZS Bellona.

The 8d stamp in last year’s new series from Tonga showed MV Matua alongside the wharf at Nu kualofa; and the 2d carried repre sentations of a native outrigger canoe and the auxiliary vessel Aoniu and the DV Hifofua.

Stamps of the New Hebrides have for some years pictured copra canoes on the beach, with the vol canic island of Lopevi behind, while last year’s 5 cents stamp was devoted to two outrigger canoes, with large and ungainly sails.

An old-time sailing ship appeared on the 1905 stamps put on issue by New Caledonia, and in 1928 a series carried the design of a typi cal frigate, either the Boussole or the Astrolabe, and the medallion portraits of the French navigators, De Bougainville and Laperouse.

Other stamps of French Oceania

illustrated a native in the prow of an open fishing canoe, and in 1942 a Free French issue reproduced a Polynesian travelling canoe, with high prow and house amidships.

THE stamps of the Cook Islands and Niue share pictures of Captain Cook’s brig, Resolu tion. The 462 tons brig appeared on the 1920 stamps of Cook Islands, showing Cook making his 1774 landing on Niue. Another repres entation of the event figured in 1932.

Native canoes can be seen on other Cook Islands issues, and the 2id showed a trading vessel, with the 2d illustrating the famous double Maori canoe, said to have carried the first natives to New

Zealand from Tahiti or the Cook Islands about 1350 A.D.

The 10,852-tons RMS Monowai figured on the 6d issue produced in the Cook Islands in 1932, and the Evangelical ve c sel, The Messen ger of Peace, used by the Rev. John Williams, appeared on the 2d value, and MV Matua on the 3 - denomin ation printed by the Islands during 1949.

The Id stamp of the pictorial set from Niue introduced in 1950, re lated to the original landing there, in 1774, of Captain Cook. It showed the Resolution off Opaahi Point.

On the 6d denomination appeared the Maui Pomani, well-known to the island trade, in Alofi Bay.

The 2d value of the same series showed an outrigger canoe in the Alofi landing area.

Six of the 1939 stamps from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands carry a nautical motif. A two-man Ellice Island canoe crossing a reef was shown on the lid value, and the 2d featured a second canoe drawn up on the beach, its owner about to launch it.

An Ellice Island canoe, propelled by four natives, was the subject of the 5d issue, while a Gilbert Island sailing outrigger canoe was shown on the 2/6 denomination.

Another steamer anchored at the Cantilever, Ocean Island, and the ketch Nimanoa (destroyed during the last war) appeared on the 1 and 2/- denominations.

In Western Samoa a paopao

canoe, with a Samoan paddling it, was depicted on a 2d issue, and the 6d value of the 1935 series had a picture of the typical bonito fish ing canoe.

The peculiar pirogue appeared on the early stamps of Fiji, and three canoes were shown on the 1938 de signs. The Id depicted a cata maran, and other* denominations had single-manned sailing canoes also. The lid originally showed a canoe sailing along merrily in the wind, with no steersman; the steers man was added in subsequent print ings.

A large native war canoe was used as the basis of the 1907 stamps of the British Solomon Islands; and designs of the BSIP 1939 pictorial issue had nautical themes. Roviana canoes figured on the 2|d and 3d, and the lid showed a tomoko canoe passing Auki Island. An other high-prowed ceremonial canoe was featured on the 5/stamp of the series.

Only ship represented on the stamps from Nauru was the phos phate steamer, Nauri Chief, which was first depicted in 1915, and has continued to be shown ever since.

IT Mr. D. T. Lloyd, Senior Surveyor and Lands Officer, Sierra Leone, has been appointed Deputy Direc tor of Lands, Fiji. Aged 36, Mr.

Lloyd is a graduate of Bristol Uni versity and has been in Sierra Leone since 1941.