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The canoe was called "wa'a." "Wa'a kaukahi" was a single-hulled canoe;
"wa'a kaulua" was a double-hulled canoe. The various parts of a canoe
had the following names:
'aha: braided or twisted cord used in lashing the canoe, made of puluniu (coconut husk fiber), olona fiber, or hau (hibiscus bark fiber); 'ahaniu: cordage made of pulu-niu
'akea: hull of an outrigger canoe; starboard hull of a double canoe
ama: float on an outrigger canoe; port hull of a double canoe.
awa: harbor, port, cove; awa ku wa'a: canoe harbor or anchorage; awa
pae: landing place
'eku: "snout" of the canoe, the prow, which digs into the ocean as the
snout of a pig digs into the earth
halau wa'a: canoe house
heleuma: anchor
hoe: a paddle; to paddle
hoe uli: center steering paddle; hoe ama: port steering blade; hoe
'akea: starboard steering blade
'iako: arched crossbeams which fasten the floater (ama) to the hull in
an outrigger canoe
iwikuamo'o: keel
iwi ka'ele: keel
ka'ele: canoe hull
kaula: line; kaule hau: hau (hibiscus) rope
kaula hope: backstay, or line from mast to stern
kaula huki: halyard, or line used to haul up the sail
pepeiao: "ear" or projections on the inside of the hull to hold the seats
pola: center platform or deck of a wa'a kaulua (double-hulled canoe);
also called papahele
polena: forestay; "polena" also means "furled, as a sail is furled" (see
kaula ihu).
pueo: shrouds
pukolu: a triple-hulled canoe
wae: spreader, used to keep the hulls of a canoe from collapsing inward