Crab Claw Sail

The Crab Claw Sail : A prehistoric 3000 BCE sail invented in Panay Island.

Soriano versus The Ping Tan Museum: The Crab Claw Sail was an essential design of the Paraws of Iloilo. The Paraws came from Panay not from Luzon since they term Banca as Sibat while Ilonggos call it Bancao or Tumbak-Tumbak. Which means that the Paraw evolved in Panay Island and not in Luzon, nor Cebu or nor Leyte nor in Butuan City.

May I remind the good museum that to make the Crab Claw Sail of the Panay Paraws you need Pandan fibers. 5000 years ago there were no Pandan leaves in Taiwan or China hence it was not possible for them to make the CRAB CLAW SAIL.

The Crab Claw Sail of the Austronesians predated that of the lateral sails of the Europeans and the Square Sails of the Arabs for thousands of years. And guess what, you need Pandan Fibers, Sinamay, Pineapple fibers, etc which are salt-water resistant.

It was not possible to sail from Taiwan to Hawaii, Borneo to Madagascar, etc without the Crab Claw Sails (Triangular Sails) which undoubtedly can be traced only to the Paraws of Panay. I am backed by the epic stories of the Jalaudnons, Tumandoks and the Suludnons where the term BANCA originated. The precursor of the PARAWS. The precursor of the Barangays and the Kunlunpo.

SO EVERYTIME YOU SEE A CHINESE JUNK IN HONGKONG, remember who invented the Crab Claw Sail. It was the Austronesians of Panay Island.
You cannot travel far without the Crab Claw Sail
by Cyclonetrading July 28, 2025
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