<P> The Moken, an ethnic group that lives in Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago and the north of Thailand as sea nomads, still builds and uses dugout canoes . According to the Moken's accounts of their people's origin, a mythical queen punished the forbidden love of their ancestral forefather for his sister - in - law by banishing him and his descendants to life on sea in dugout canoes with indentations fore and aft ("a mouth that eats and a rear that defecates"), symbolizing the unending cycle of ingestion, digestion and evacuation . </P> <P> A centuries - old unfinished dugout boat, a big banca (five tons, measuring 8 by 2 by 1.5 meters) was accidentally retrieved on November, 2010 by Mayor Ricardo Revita at Barangay Casanicolasan, Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippines, in Lagasit River, near Agno River . It is now on display in front of the Municipal Town Hall . </P> <P> In ancient many dugouts were made from linden wood, for several reasons . First, was abundant in the Paleolthic after the melting of the Weichselian glaciation and readily available . Secondly it grew to be one of the tallest trees in the forests of the time, making it easier to build longer boats . Linden wood also lends itself well to carving and doesn't split or crack easily . It is lighter and therefore boats made from it have a better cargo capacity and are easier to carry, than most other tree types from the European old - growth forests . </P> <P> The Pesse canoe, found in the Netherlands, is a dugout which is believed to be the world's oldest boat, carbon dated to between 8040 BCE and 7510 BCE . </P>

What is the advantage of making canoes that are light