A Tepukeiis a very old Melanesian boat type, first reported by Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña in 1595, on his visit to the Santa Cruz Islands

Santa Cruz Islands

The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles to the southeast of the Solomon Islands Chain...

. However, its possible source may be the Polynesian

Polynesian languages

The Polynesian languages are a language family spoken in the region known as Polynesia. They are classified as part of the Austronesian family, belonging to the Oceanic branch of that family. They fall into two branches: Tongic and Nuclear Polynesian. Polynesians share many cultural traits...

-speaking inhabitants of Taumako

Taumako

Taumako is the largest of the Duff Islands. This 5.7 km long island has steep sides and rises to a height of 400 m above sea level. It is composed of basaltic lavas and pyroclastics like the other islands in the Duffs ....

 (Duff Islands).

A Tepukei looks like an outrigger canoe

Outrigger canoe

The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...

 with a funny-looking sail, but is in fact a very sophisticated ocean-going sailing ship, belonging to the proa

Proa

A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...

(two hulls of different size) types. Its main differences with other proas are:

• The main hull (vaka) has an almost circular section whose submerged profile remains constant despite heeling, and has a minimum of wet surface when heavily loaded.
• The vaka's top is very close to the flotation line, so it is closed with planks and the accommodations for the crew are on an elevated platform over the akas (the beams connecting the main hull and the smaller, winward hull).
• The typical crab claw sail
  Crab claw sail
  The crab claw sail or, as it is sometimes known, Oceanic lateen or Oceanic sprit, is a triangular sail with spars along upper and lower edges. The crab claw sail is used in many traditional Pacific Ocean cultures, as can be seen by the traditional proa and tepukei.-Construction:The crab claw sail...
  
  , one of the most efficient sail types known.

What may be the only surviving original Tepukei is in the Völkerkundemuseum in Berlin, it was brought by Dr. Gerd Koch from the Santa Cruz Islands

Santa Cruz Islands

The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles to the southeast of the Solomon Islands Chain...

on 1967.

In recent years however, tepukeis are experiencing a renaissance. The project Vaka Taumako has revived the traditional construction of these boats, and there's a German television documentary about it. David O. Coy is building Tepukeis in San Francisco as well.