What Are The Main Parts Of A Hawaiian Canoe?

The Hawaiian canoe, also known as the Waa Kaukahi, is a traditional type of canoe that consists of a single hull with an outrigger stabilizer extending off the left side. Its various parts include the hull (kino), outrigger float (ama), hoe (a paddle), iako (spars, boom), lupe (bow end of ama), and kanaka (stern). The Hawaiian environment provided all the necessary items to construct and provision a canoe, and the native Polynesian possessed a tremendous ability in discovering the many uses his natural environment provided for him.

The various parts of a canoe have names in the context of their design, such as the bow, bow deck, bow seat, thwarts, yoke, stern seat, stern deck, stern, gunwales, keel, stems, hull, belly, and handholds. In Hawaii, the Koa Tree provided the Hawaiians with a large enough log so that this planking method was not necessary.

The main feature of a canoe is the hull (kuamoʻo or kino), which is the foundation of the canoe and provides storage space and shelter for various parts. The main features of a canoe include the chin, Auwae, or Moa-moa (where the gunwale joins the bow), head (Poo), shield (ku-apoi), eyes (Maka, or Manu), aha (braided or twisted cord used in lashing the canoe), ama (float outrigger), hoe (a paddle), iako (spars, boom), lupe (bow end), and kanaka (stern).

Outrigger canoes first arrived in Hawaii around 200 AD, some large enough to hold up to 80 people, and were filled with essential items like edible plants. The Hawaiian Canoe has always been an iconic symbol of Hawaii’s past and forward movement, where the island nation is constantly changing.