The 10c stamp shows a Tami islanders’ 2-masted morobe. These people are of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian stock and are noted ship-builders and traders. The morobe was a sturdy 2-master with two stanchions on the outrigger side which helped to support the platform above; they did not project higher to carry a rail. On the offside of the lower platform a vertical framework supported that end of the upper platform and extended a long way above it. The lower part between the platforms was boarded over. By simple shifting of both sails the canoe could sail either way. Pandanus leaf was used for both the sails and the sleeping mats.
Sea Breezes May 1975 Ernest Argyle
Papua New Guinea SG278