Summary
The papyrus reed grows on the banks of Lake Tana, a lake that lies at 1850 metres above sea level and through which the Blue Nile flows, by more than 4000 km far from the river ' s mouth. The local inhabitants use the long stems of this plant to build their boats. Bundles of dried papyrus, laid end to end with a slight overlap, are lashed to an untrimmed pole of eucalyptus wood that acts as a sort of keel. Its length depends on the end use : from 1 metre for those built for children, up to 12 metres for the largest that are used to transport cargoes of wood, fish or as ferries carrying a dozen passengers from one bank of the Nile to the other.