A waka displayed at the Otago Museum, Dunedin

In the Māori language and New Zealand English, waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes. Similar craft are encountered elsewhere in Polynesia, with cognate names such as vaka. As with most loan-words from the Māori language, the plural of "waka" is simply "waka", not "wakas". Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (531x709, 117 KB)A Maori Waka (canoe on display in the Otago Museum, Dunedin, NZ. I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (531x709, 117 KB)A Maori Waka (canoe on display in the Otago Museum, Dunedin, NZ. I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation... The Otago Museum is a museum situated in Dunedin. ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... Māori or Te Reo Māori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ... New Zealand English (NZE) is the English spoken in New Zealand. ... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... A wood-and-canvas canoe evokes the heritage of canoeing in North America A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ... Cognate (Latin: cognatus co+gnatus, ie. ...

Waka range in size from small, lightweight canoes such as waka tiwai used for fishing or river travel by individuals or small groups, through to very large waka taua (war canoes), manned by up to 80 paddlers and up to 40 metres in length, and large double-hulled canoes for oceanic voyaging.

Many waka are single-hulled vessels made from hollowed tree trunks. Small waka consist of a single piece while large waka usually consist of several pieces jointed and lashed together. A waka ama is an outrigger canoe. Some waka, particularly in the Chatham Islands, were not conventional canoes but were constructed from raupo (bulrushes) or flax stalks. In a canoe or bangca, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. ... The Chatham Islands from space. ... The term bulrush (or sometimes as bullrush) typically refers to tall, herbaceous plants that grow in wetlands. ... Binomial name Linum usitatissimum Linnaeus. ...

Ocean-going waka, whatever their size, could be paddled but were normally propelled by sail. Waka taua are paddled to demonstrate their mana. Mana is a traditional term that refers to a concept among the speakers of Oceanic languages, including Melanesians, Polynesians, and Micronesians. ...

Small utilitarian waka are usually plain and unornamented. Larger canoes, waka taua in particular, are elaborately carved and decorated. Waka taua are no longer used in warfare but chiefly for ceremonial purposes.

The Polynesian settlers of New Zealand migrated to New Zealand in large waka. The names and stories associated with those waka were passed on in oral history (korero nehera) as the descendants of the settlers multiplied and separated into iwi (tribes) and hapu (sub-tribes). Consequently the word waka is used to denote confederations of iwi descended from the people of one migratory canoe. Wakas can also be carved with many different patterns and designs. Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... Māori culture is a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. ...

Waka is also used in broader senses that can be translated as 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 that are worn as ornaments in the hair. The neologism waka-rere-rangi (literally: waka (vehicle) that flies in the sky) was coined for aircraft. Taonga is the Maori word for a treasured thing, whether tangible or intangible. ... Binomial name Heteralocha acutirostris (Gould, 1837) Synonyms Neomorpha acutirostris Neomorpha crassirostris (male) Heteralocha gouldi The Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) was a bird endemic to New Zealand. ... A neologism (from Greek νεολογισμός νέος [neos] = new; λόγος [logos] = word) is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (coined) — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ...

The word has five other meanings in the Williams Māori dictionary but only the above definitions have entered New Zealand English. The word is also found in several compound forms which are closely related to the idea of the waka as a vessel or container, ranging from waka niho for a car's gearbox to waka hari hino, for an oil tanker. New Zealand English (NZE) is the English spoken in New Zealand. ...

In recent years, waka racing has become an occasionally seen sport in New Zealand, often performed as part of larger festivals, in much the same way that dragon boat racing is competed. Dragon boat racing is a team paddling sport which utilises the dragon boat. ...

Notes and references

See also

• Outrigger Canoe
• Waka-jumping