Must Be Hundreds of Years Old
First, take a look at what is usually found in an Okinawa museum.
This is one of the traditional boats, called a sabani.
It has lots of the old items used for sailing and fishing, on display inside the boat.
Sometimes, the craft is an original one, cleaned up and restored for display.
Other ones, I've seen, are reproductions or models, made for the museum.
When you examine the construction, the sides are made of wooden planks.
And, they are joined together with wooden dovetails.
This antique looking sabani, I spotted, is like no other sabani, I have ever seen.
So, I walked around and looked at it from several angles.
The boat appears to be made out of one, solid piece of wood.
Back in the good old days, you could get away with making a boat from a single tree.
People around the world used to make dugout canoes out of logs.
Whether they burned the inside of the log or, carved it by hand, they hollowed it out somehow.
On this one, you can feel and see the tool-marks on the exterior.
Knowing how rare it is to find a sabani like this, I'd put it in a glass case.
If it stays outdoors, like that much longer, I know what will happen.
Somebody will get a bright idea and, convert it into a planter, for their flowers !
