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Mililani, HI
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by FRANCIS PIMMEL
Polynesian canoes
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in common, including linguistic relations, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs. In centuries past, they had a strong shared tradition of sailing and using stars to navigate.
Throughout Polynesia and Oceania in general, canoes have been, and in some cases still are, a primary means of transportation between islands. They also serve as an essential method for fishing along the shores. Some canoes were specifically designed to accommodate a large number of warriors for the purpose of waging war and conquering other islands. The size and construction of canoes were greatly influenced by the materials available on each particular island. For example, Hawaii was able to build large voyaging or war canoes using the renowned Koa tree. Meanwhile, the Māori in New Zealand constructed war canoes, known as "Waka Taua," that could be up to 130 feet long, utilizing the massive Kauri or Totara trees. While most canoes, regardless of size, were dugouts, some, particularly in Samoa and Fiji, were built using plank construction. The reader will notice that I have included Fiji as part of Polynesia. Although the Fijian people are generally classified as ethnically Melanesian, their social and political organization aligns more closely with that of Polynesia.
Over the last 30 years, I have gathered thousands of pictures illustrating Polynesian canoes, ranging from small fishing canoes to war and voyaging canoes, as well as models of these canoes. It will be a labor of love to catalog all of them, but I plan to share the most interesting ones over time.