Va'a

Vaʻa is a word in Samoan, Hawaiian and Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'. It is cognate with other Polynesian words such as vaka or the Māori word waka.

The vaʻa usually takes the form a dugout canoe 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 (called ama in various Polynesian languages), 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 event from 2020.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.