The college began promoting the navigation of the eastern coast of Taiwan on bamboo rafts in 2003, which led to the discovery that several east coast villages have records of seafaring vessels with sails, Liu said. The boats Liu referred to were made of bamboo and had square sails. After issuing an invitation to Simon Scalopuka of the Solomon Islands, who is dedicated to restoring the seafaring culture of the Taumako people, the project has progressed much more smoothly, the college said. “We cut down the weight of the bamboo rafts and lashed them together with yellow rattan, while the sail utilized thicker screw pine leaves the Solomon Islands team brought from their nation,” a project participant who declined to be named said. “We hope that our vessel will eventually set sail for the open ocean,” he said.

Source: Taipei Times September 01, 2017 15:56 UTC