Va'a

Design Story

This outrigger canoe design inspired by Polynesian tattoos was prepared as a logo for the Malaysian Va'a Association (MASVAA), and it includes several symbols that represent the voyages and wayfinding tradition of ancient Polynesian navigators.
It includes symbols from different Polynesian cultures, spanning from Hawaii to New Zealand, to symbolize the union of all Pacific people.

The stars in front of the canoe and behind it represent the wayfinding techniques, which required to follow a specific set of stars for each voyage depending on both the destination and the starting point as well.
This also stands for the importance of knowing and honoring our roots and where we come from while going toward the future.

The paddle has a lōkahi symbol and a Marquesan cross to underline the importance of balance and being in harmony with nature and spirits to find our path through life and the ocean.

The ama (outrig) is made of several elements: the path to knowledge, people, and trading winds to symbolize how the knowledge was passed down through generations as a collective achievement, and trading winds as well as currents were fundamental knowledge in this.
The canoe itself includes spearheads and shark teeth as a symbol of strength, courage, and adaptability, while the waves symbolize the ocean sailed by the voyaging canoes.

There is a frigate bird on the bow of the canoe to symbolize direction and how nature often showed the way, while the braids that join the iako to the canoe and ama symbolize unity, like the flax leaves on the tiki headdress.
As a curiosity, the word for bird is manu and in Hawaiian language the front bow is called "manu ihu" (literally front bird).

The iako themselves are designed using mōlina, the flight of the albatross, as it's a symbol of long voyages and safe return, while the rowing tiki represents ancestors and protection.

The following images identifies the individual elements with different colors: