Va'a

[2] The vaʻa usually takes the form a dugout canoe carved from a single tree trunk, typically used by one to three individuals for fishing activities around the island.

It normally has a float or outrigger (called ama in various Polynesian languages), which is attached to the main hull for stability.

A modern version of the smaller vaʻa is used in the sport of outrigger canoe racing.

Due to the extra stability created by the outrigger system, a modified version of the va'a canoe was included as a new Paralympic Games event from 2020.

The Samoans have four kinds of canoes, smaller fishing vessels or the larger oceangoing va'a-tele or ʻalia, which are mostly out of use today;[3] A main hull of a vaʻa can be made in one piece, from a hollowed out trunk of a large tree with the ama float attached later.