Taking a closer look: What do the decorative motifs mean?

The ornamentation of the Siassi boat is a striking feature, which includes the decorative motifs on the side planks that were directly painted onto the wood. The motifs on the wave breaker, on the other hand, were created with the help of flat cuts: The contours and ornaments were carved in, dug out and then white paint was rubbed into the recesses. The hull and the ama have detailed relief carvings depicting figures and faces complemented with chip carving patterns.

The boat painters used three colours for the boat: black paint made from crushed charcoal and oil, white paint made from lime, and red paint made from earth from the island of New Britain. In combination with the sap from a tree bark, the colours become waterproof.

The drawings on the side planks of the boat are particularly impressive. There are drawings of animals such as fish and crabs. Stars, ghosts, and crab tracks are also depicted.

‘The next drawing [...] depicts a landscape, and the Siassi artist modelled it on the coast of Umbai opposite his boat construction workshop. [...] Thus the large arch covering everything represents Mount Lolos; the upright lines are standing trees, the horizontal lines are fallen trees. In front of this great mountain are two cones, the mountains Liplip and Moramtusu, and the two dark, upright spikes are supposed to be two particularly large trees.’ (Vogel 1911: 177)