Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Hawaiian style wa'a with a South Pacific iako and ama.

Please feel free to click on each image to enlarge. You will be able to catch more detail.



A picture of the bow or front of the canoe. In Hawaiian language it is referred to as the ihu wa'a. The kupe ihu or bow cover and pale kai, splash guard is decorated with traditional Papua New Guinea carving design. The pale kai is topped with a beautiful piece of curly koa. Below, hand made natural fiber tassels decorate both sides of the front third of the wa'a. (A common decoration found in areas in the South Pacific.)



Bamboo slats are lashed over the 'iako creating extra storage space. (Very common feature found on South Pacific canoes.)



The carving on the side of the wa'a represents the island of Umboi. A small island off the North coast of Papua New Guinea, part of the Morobe province.

Woods used; The wa'a is made from a single jackfruit tree. The mo'o or gunnels are made from a wood called poplar. The 'iako is made out of kauri pine laminated around a 1/4" strip of poplar and the ama is made from the trunk of a wiliwili tree.



The two matching paddles are also made by laminating kauri and poplar...in my opinion, a beautiful combination of colors.





From bow to stern the wa'a is 12' long. The ama is 8' long.
This piece is a model and not intended for use.

Below...The sticks that connect the 'iako to the ama (18 of them) are engraved with the names of Pacific nations. The intent is to celebrate all cultures of the outrigger.



If you have questions or if you just want to talk story about Pacific canoes please feel free to contact me via clicking on the view my complete profile link on the right.

You can also follow this project by going to my artist's blog, click here or by following my Tumbu Kanu Facebook page, click here. The content is public and all are welcome!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Days 3-5 on my canoe project


Just a quick walk around of what I have done so far on the canoe. Can't wait to start painting it with the traditional colours!

Day Two of my canoe project




I spent the entire day shaping the canoe. The goal is to give it a slightly bowed shape...almost like a banana.

This is what I'm talking about! A nice slick look that will cut through the water easily. Tomorrow I'll start Working on the hull as well as terminating the cracks in the ends.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Day One of my canoe project



I started this project by cutting a slab off the top of the log. I did this so that the canoe will be lighter and a little wider. No real science behind the cut...I simply freehand cut the slab with my chainsaw.



After I cut the slab off the top of the log I made a series of deep plunge cuts with my chainsaw. With a great deal of sweat I then pounded out the rough hull with a hammer and adze. I'll make refinements later.

The final cuts on Day one were to simply shape the front and back of the canoe. Tomorrow I'll start shaping with my hand plainer. All in all the work took about 5 hours on Day one.

Friday, December 18, 2009

The artist and builder


This feels like selling a puppy! :) I had a great deal of fun working on this project. Even more fun was had when we were able to take it out fishing! My sincere hope is that a project like this will inspire the creation of more traditional canoes here in beautiful Hawai'i.

Video of my traditional outrigger canoe


Walking around the canoe before I deliver it to it's new home on Saturday.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The outrigger


This outrigger is so light, I can pick it up easily with one hand. The total length is 8 feet and it provides a tremendous amount of balance.