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Va'a
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vaʻa is a word in Samoan, Hawaiian and Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'.[1] A larger traditional seagoing vessel for long-distance voyages is referred to as vaʻa tele (big ship). The term alia is also used for larger vessels in Samoa. The smaller vaʻa used for fishing typically have a float, or outrigger, attached to the main hull for stability. This outrigger part of the canoe is called ama in various Polynesian languages.
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The word is cognate with other Polynesian words such as vaka or the Māori word waka.[2] It is also used to designate the sport of outrigger canoe racing. Due to the extra stability created by an outrigger system, a modified version of the va'a canoe was included as a new Paralympic Games event from 2020.