Fishing Lore of Tobi. Peter W. Black 1968, 2017

Fatur: Paddles

There were three kinds of paddles on Tobi. The dimensions were identical for all three. The total length was one Ngaf of the owner.

The handle was one-half the total length. The width of the blade was one Seiyang or the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger when the hand is pressed down flat.

It takes about two days to carve a paddle. The canoe owner makes his own.

The three old types were made from Mo and Fariyap (apple) trees.

The three old types are:
A. Fatur Sahou

Curved edge so that it makes a noise against the water.

B. Fatur Sonobie


C. Fatur Umarau

At the present time, there are only a few Type C (Fatur Umarau) and no Type A (Fatur Sahou) or Type B (Fatur Sonobie) in use on the island.  Most people have changed over to Fatur Papua—a design which, as the name suggests, is taken from paddles which have drifted in. The measurements are the same but they are made from driftwood. The people started to change in Japanese times.

There are two kinds of Fatur Papua.


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Updated: January 19, 2017