Vaʻa is a word in
Samoan,
Hawaiian and
Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'.
It is
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
with other Polynesian words such as ''
vaka'' or the
Māori word ''
waka''.
The ''vaʻa'' usually takes the form a
dugout canoe
A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed-out tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' (tr ...
carved from a single tree trunk, typically used by one to three individuals for fishing activities around the island. It normally has a float or
outrigger
An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts he ...
(called ''
ama'' in various
Polynesian languages
The Polynesian languages form a genealogical group of languages, itself part of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family.
There are 38 Polynesian languages, representing 7 percent of the 522 Oceanic languages, and 3 percent of the Austr ...
), which is attached to the main hull for stability.
The word ''vaʻa'' contrasts with larger traditional
seagoing vessels for long-distance voyages, whose names include ''vaʻa tele'' ('big ship'), ''alia'', or ''
tepukei''.
A modern version of the smaller ''vaʻa'' is used in the sport of
outrigger canoe racing. Due to the extra stability created by the outrigger system, a modified version of the va'a canoe was included as a new
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
event from 2020.
History
More than 4,000 years.
Sport
International Va'a Federation, the International governing body for the sport of
Outrigger Canoe
Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull (watercraft), hull. They can range from small dugout (boat), dugout canoes to large ...
/Va'a since 1984.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20250118082540/https://www.ivfiv.org/past-world-events-1984---2023.html]
Types of ''vaʻa''
Samoa
The Samoans have four kinds of canoes, smaller fishing vessels or the larger oceangoing ''
va'a-tele'' or ''
ʻalia'', which are mostly out of use today;
[''NZ Electronic Text Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ Licence CC-BY-SA'']
*
''paopao'' A single
outrigger canoe
Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull (watercraft), hull. They can range from small dugout (boat), dugout canoes to large ...
made from a single log;
*''vaʻa-alo'' A small fishing-canoe.
*Large single canoes, termed respectively ''la'au lima'' (five-barred), or six or seven-barred, as the case might be, were canoes varying in length from thirty, fifty, sixty, and even seventy feet, as required. They were balanced by an outrigger firmly lashed to the canoe on the left side at a distance of three feet if meant for pulling, but of five or six feet if required for sailing. The single canoes have a light appearance, the prow and stern being slightly curved upwards, so that merely the bosom or central part of an unloaded canoe rests upon the water.
*ʻalia. Samoan double canoe, ''
va'a-tele'' (the big canoe), was much larger, and consisted of two canoes, one longer than the other, lashed together with cross-bars amidships, and having the thatched shed or cabin built upon a stage that projected over the stern, instead of in midships, as in the Tonga canoes. It was much larger than this canoe, but more difficult to manage, yet able to carry one or two ''Vaʻa-alo'', or small fishing-canoes, on deck as required.
Construction
A main hull of a ''vaʻa'' can be made in one piece, from a hollowed out trunk of a large tree with the ''ama'' float attached later. Other types of Polynesian construction include 'sewing' planks of wood together with special cords and ropes, a type of hand made
sennit, important in the material cultures of the people of
Oceania
Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...
.
Other meanings
Vaʻa is also a surname in the
Samoa Islands, and may refer to:
*
Earl Va'a
Earl Va'a (born 1 May 1972)
Scrum.com
(b. 1976), Samoan rugby player
*
Justin Va'a (b. 1978), Samoan rugby player
See also
*
Culture of Samoa
*
Polynesian navigation
Polynesian navigation or Polynesian wayfinding was used for thousands of years to enable long voyages across thousands of kilometres of the Pelagic zone, open Pacific Ocean. Polynesians made contact with nearly every island within the vast Poly ...
*
Hokulea
*
Lakana
*
Wa'a
*
Outrigger boat
Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull (watercraft), hull. They can range from small dugout (boat), dugout canoes to large ...
*
Regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
References
External links
Takia Outrigger Canoe Club Fiji
{{Fishing vessel topics
Samoan words and phrases
Culture of Samoa
Polynesian navigation
Outrigger canoes
Indigenous boats