WAKA TAUA war canoe

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

WAKA TAUA war canoe

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:36 pm

$1.40 – WAKA TAUA
Over time Māori developed a range of distinctive dugout canoes ranging from the imposing waka taua (war canoes) to the humbler fishing canoes, river canoes and reed and flax craft. Usually paddled but sometimes assisted by mat sails, the bigger vessels could transport large quantities of people and trade goods across Cook Strait.
New Zealand Post leaflet
WAKA are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes (waka tīwai) used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes (waka taua) up to 40 metres (130 ft) long. In recent years, large double-hulled canoes of considerable size have been constructed for oceanic voyaging to other parts of the Pacific Ocean
The stamp shows us a Waka taua (war canoe) which are large canoes manned by up to 80 paddlers and are up to 40 metres (130 ft) in length. Many are single-hulled vessels made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. Large waka, which are usually elaborately carved and decorated, may consist of several jointed pieces lashed together. The resurgence of Māori culture has seen an increase in the numbers of waka taua built, generally on behalf of a tribal group, for use on ceremonial occasions.
Ocean-going waka, whatever their size, could be paddled but achieved their best speeds when propelled by sail. The Polynesian settlers of New Zealand migrated to New Zealand in large waka; some of these were waka hourua, (as seen on the 1992 40c stamp)double-hulled vessels. The names and stories associated with those waka were passed on in oral history (kōrero o mua) as the descendants of the settlers multiplied and separated into iwi (tribes) and hapu (sub-tribes). Consequently the word waka is used to denote a confederation of iwi descended from the people of one migratory canoe. The waka had many uses, including fishing, and was used in everyday life by the Maori, to search for food
Early European explorers saw Māori using waka ama (outrigger canoes). "Sydney Parkinson, an artist on Captain James Cook’s first voyage to New Zealand in 1769, and the German scientist Johann Reinhold Forster, who sailed with Cook in 1773, described waka fitted with outriggers (ama, amatiatia or korewa)". Already rare in Cook's time, waka ama had largely faded from memory by the early 19th century (Howe 2006:87). However, the term 'waka ama' occurs in old stories, such as the story of Māui published by in Grey in 1854 and in a few old waiata; Tregear also mentions the waka ama as 'a possession of the Maori', adding that 'It was beneath the outrigger of such a canoe that the famous Maui crushed his wife's brother Irawaru before turning him into a dog. Both the double canoe and that with the outrigger have entirely disappeared from among the Maoris, and it is doubtful if any native now alive has seen either of them in New Zealand' (Tregear 1904:115). The Māori words for the parts of the outrigger, such as 'ama' and 'kiato', recorded in the early years of European settlement, suggest that Māori outrigger canoes were similar in form to those known from central Polynesia.
In recent years, waka ama racing, introduced from Pasifika nations into New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s, using high-tech canoes of Hawaiian or Tahitian design, and supported with the ingenious support of work schemes, has become an increasingly popular sport in New Zealand, often performed as part of larger festivals.
Some waka, particularly in the Chatham Islands, were not conventional canoes, but were constructed from raupo (bulrushes) or flax stalks.
The word 'waka' is also used in broader senses that can be translated as 'container', 'vessel' or 'vehicle'. A 'waka huia' is a hollowed and carved vessel used for storing of taonga (treasures) such as the prized tail feathers of the now-extinct huia bird (Heteralocha acutirostris) that are worn as ornaments in the hair. In current Māori usage, waka is used to refer to cars, along with the transliterated term 'motokā' (motorcar). The neologism 'waka-rere-rangi' (literally: waka (vehicle) that sails the sky) was coined for aircraft. A 'waka hari hino', (vessel that carries oil) is an oil tanker; a 'waka niho' (gear container) is a car's gearbox.
New Zealand 2012 $1.40 sg?, scott?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Anatol
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Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: WAKA TAUA war canoe

Post by Anatol » Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:16 am

Waka taua
War canoe characterized by a bow piece and very tall,vertical stern piece;both perforated and intricately carved.Futher decorations included projecting rods at the bow to which bunches feathers were tied,and long feather streamers at the stern.Painted red and black.When 2 canoe joined(see 32c,33c),only one sail used,the forward- racing must stepped in one of the hulls.Reported lengths 15-37m,beam 1,2-2,4m.Other names:WAKA TAUA NUNUI or WAKA TAVA.

Marshall Islands 1998; 32c; SG964. Marshall Islands 1999; 33c; SG?.
New Caledonia1996;65f;SG1060. Penrhyn Island1981;SG170;SG190.
Source: A Dictionary of the world’s Watercraft from Aak to Zumbra and other Web Sites.
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