Vaʻa is a word inSamoan,Hawaiian andTahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'.^[1] It iscognate with other Polynesian words such asvaka or theMāori wordwaka.^[2]

Thevaʻa usually takes the form adugout 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 oroutrigger (calledama in variousPolynesian languages), which is attached to the main hull for stability.

The wordvaʻa contrasts with larger traditionalseagoing vessels for long-distance voyages, whose names includevaʻa tele ('big ship'),alia, ortepukei.

A modern version of the smallervaʻa is used in the sport ofoutrigger canoe racing. Due to the extra stability created by the outrigger system, a modified version of the va'a canoe was included as a newParalympic Games event from 2020.

More than 4,000 years.^[3]

International Va'a Federation, the International governing body for the sport ofOutrigger Canoe/Va'a since 1984.^[4]

The Samoans have four kinds of canoes, smaller fishing vessels or the larger oceangoingva'a-tele orʻalia, which are mostly out of use today;^[5]

• paopao A singleoutrigger canoe made from a single log;
• vaʻa-alo A small fishing-canoe.
• Large single canoes, termed respectivelyla'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 twoVaʻa-alo, or small fishing-canoes, on deck as required.

A main hull of avaʻa can be made in one piece, from a hollowed out trunk of a large tree with theama float attached later. Other types of Polynesian construction include 'sewing' planks of wood together with special cords and ropes, a type of hand madesennit, important in the material cultures of the people ofOceania.

Vaʻa is also a surname in theSamoa Islands, and may refer to:

• Earl Va'a (b. 1976), Samoan rugby player
• Justin Va'a (b. 1978), Samoan rugby player

Wikimedia Commons has media related toVa'a.

• Culture of Samoa
• Polynesian navigation
• Hokulea
• Lakana
• Wa'a
• Outrigger boat
• Regatta

• Takia Outrigger Canoe Club Fiji

• Samoan words and phrases
• Culture of Samoa
• Polynesian navigation
• Outrigger canoes
• Indigenous boats

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