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 Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

word ''

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

''. 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 :nl: tepukei A tepukei, tepuke or TePuke is a Polynesian boat type, characterized by its elaborate decking, its submerged hulls and symmetrical "crab claw" sail slender foil or radically extended tips claw sail (Te Laa). ''Tepukei'' boats ...

''. A modern version of the smaller ''vaʻa'' is used in the sport of

outrigger canoe racing 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. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger b ...

. 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 Va'a-tele are large, traditional Samoan double canoe multihull watercraft. See also *va'a References

Canoes Canoeing and kayaking equipment Culture of Samoa {{Samoa-stub ...

'' 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 Va'a-tele are large, traditional Samoan double canoe multihull watercraft. See also *va'a References

Canoes Canoeing and kayaking equipment Culture of Samoa {{Samoa-stub ...

'' (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 Sennit is a type of cordage made by plaiting rope fibres or strands of dried fibre or grass. In western European nautical traditions, it was used to make flat plaited straps for use aboard ship. It can be used ornamentally in crafts, like a kin ...

, 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 The Samoan Islands () are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa and most of Americ ...

, and may refer to: *

Earl Va'a Earl Va'a (born 1 May 1972)
Scrum.com is a former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played internat ...

(b. 1976), Samoan rugby player *

Justin Va'a Justin Va'a (born on 26 July 1978 Wainuiomata, New Zealand) is a former prop for the Samoan national rugby team and the Scottish club Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays i ...

(b. 1978), Samoan rugby player

References

External links

Takia Outrigger Canoe Club Fiji
{{Fishing vessel topics Samoan words and phrases Culture of Samoa Polynesian navigation Outrigger canoes Indigenous boats