"At midnight the Milky Way was stretched across the sky from east to west in the form of the Cosmic Monster ... It suddenly occurred to me that this configuration could also be the canoe, and that during the four hours after midnight the Cosmic Monster canoe 'sinks' as the Milky Way turns and brings the three hearth stones of Orion to the zenith just before dawn ... (Maya Cosmos)

The blade of the paddle has a sign, and it can be recognized - I think - as a symbol for the Sun. It basically means 'yellow' (kan) but according to Gates it was also used instead of 'sun' (kin).

So, I deduce it is the Sun God who is paddling. He has 3 at his back and 2 in front, which I read as spring behind him and autumn in front. Although we are used to think of spring as coming before autumn it is possible to accept this picture - given that we think the year is beginning in high summer. The front of the year will then be autumn. The paddling Sun is located at high summer (in the middle of the year regarded as a canoe) and he will have the rainy season in front of him. He will primarily be a Rain God.

And primarily the canoe with its captain and passengers describes the year. Only by the logic of correspondences will it be possible to apply it to one aspect of the Milky Way.

... Miro-oone, model boat made of earth in which the 'boat festivals' used to be celebrated ... on the first day of the year the natives dress in navy uniforms and performs exercises which imitate the maneuvers of ships' crews ...