VAKA TOU'UA canoe of the Marquesas Islands

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aukepalmhof
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VAKA TOU'UA canoe of the Marquesas Islands

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Nov 15, 2018 7:00 pm

The stamp issued by French Polynesia in 1976 shows us a “vaka tou’ua” canoe, the stamp is designed after a painting made by Herb Kane, who also designed the four stamps see: http://herbkanehawaii.com/image-catalog ... lands-c40/
The inscription on the painting gives that she is a “va’a tou’ua”.
The word waka or vaka are many time used for canoes on the Pacific Islands, and means canoe.

Aak to Zumbra, a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft, has nothing on the “waka tou’ua” but only for the ‘vaka tou’uá” it gives for the canoe:
The “vaka tou’uá used in the Marquesas Island and Eastern Pacific, is now an extinct double canoe and was used for interisland travel, war, and probably migration.
Dugout hulls of roughly the same length, joined by three stout beams; especially large canoes required butting two logs together; sides raised by washstrakes. Form of ends variously depicted; some projected horizontally at both ends, stern sweeping up to a lofty stylized bird’s head, or both ends curved up to tall end pieces. Some had a platform (hou ua) laid atop the booms; often used by warriors. Sailed and paddled. Single V-shaped mat sail set to a mast stepped forward crossbeam.
Length at least 12m

Source: Aak to Zumbra, a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft
French Polynesia 1976 25f sg 227, scott?
Penrhyn 1992 $1.15 sg 466, scott 405
Attachments
1976 marquesas 2 (2).jpg
Image (9).jpg

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