Kuānuenue
No ka puke “The Hawaiian Canoe” na Tommy Holmes
He ʻano ʻē aʻe nō ke kūlana o nā ʻiako e hoʻohui ana i nā kaʻa o ka waʻa kaulua, ʻokoʻa aʻe i nā ʻiako o ka waʻa kaukahi. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo John Papa ʻĪʻī, he mea kākau no ka Nupepa Kuokoa i nā makahiki hope o ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāiwa, penei: “ʻO nā lāʻau piʻo o ka ʻiako, ua koho pono ʻia mai ke kumu lāʻau ʻōhiʻa lehua i ʻūlili maoli, no ka mea, ʻo ia nō ka ʻoi loa o nā lāʻau piʻo a pau.” A laila, ʻōlelo hou mai nō ʻo ia, “Aia kekahi mau waʻa kaulua he ʻekolu ʻiako piʻo i hana ʻia i ka ʻōhiʻa lehua; akā, inā he waʻa lōʻihi, hoʻohana ʻia ʻehā a ʻelima paha lāʻau ʻōhiʻa—ua wae pono ʻia, ua hoʻomākaukau pono ʻia, no ka mea, ʻo ia nā lāʻau ikaika loa.”
ʻAʻohe nui o nā lāʻau ma nā ʻāina ʻē e hiki ke hoʻokūkū i ka ikaika o ka ʻōhiʻa lehua; ʻaʻole nō hoʻi he ʻano kūkulu ma ke ao nei i ʻoi aku ka ikaika ma mua o ka lāʻau piʻo. ʻAʻole hiki i ke hau ke hoʻokokoke i ia ikaika; no laila, he palena kona waiwai ma ka waʻa kaulua nui, ʻoiai ua manaʻo ʻo Haddon lāua ʻo Hornell he lawa nō ia. ʻEhā a ʻelima ʻiako, ua lawa nō ia no ka nui o nā waʻa kaulua nunui; akā, i kekahi manawa, ua hoʻonui ʻia aku. Ma ke kiʻi a Paris i kahakiʻi ai i ka makahiki 1839 no kekahi waʻa kaulua he kanahākūmāhiku a me ka hapa kapuaʻi ka lōʻihi, ua ʻike ʻia he ʻeono ʻiako; a ma ka makahiki 1793, ʻike kekahi mea nānā i ʻewalu.
ʻOiai he mea maʻamau nā ʻiako piʻo ma nā waʻa kaulua i ka wā i hui mua ai me nā haole, ua ʻōlelo ʻo David Malo, “I ka wā kahiko loa, he pololei nō nā ʻiako.” Ua hoʻomau ʻia kēlā ʻano a hiki i ka wā o Keawe (ka hapahā hope o ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāhiku), a laila, ʻo Kanehuna (ke keiki a Keawe II) ka mea nāna i haku i ka ʻiako piʻo. Ma muli o ia mea, ua hāpai ʻia ke kahua o luna o ka waʻa ma luna aʻe o ke kai, a ua emi ka paʻa ʻana o ke kai i ka holo ʻana, a ua ʻoi aku ka maloʻo a me ka ʻoluʻolu o ka noho ʻana o nā kānaka a me nā ukana.
ʻO kekahi hiʻohiʻona waʻa kaulua i lawe ʻia e George Vancouver i ka hale hōʻikeʻike o Beritania i nā makahiki hope o ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāwalu, ua paʻa ia me nā ʻiako pololei ʻelua; a e like me ka ʻōlelo a Haddon lāua ʻo Hornell, he “koena paha ia o ke ʻano kahiko, a i ʻole he hana koke wale nō i haku ʻia mai nā kaʻa ʻelua o ka waʻa kaukahi.” No ka paʻakikī o ka loaʻa ʻana o nā ʻiako piʻo, he nui nā ʻiako i hoʻohana ʻia ma nā waʻa kaulua i ka hapalua hope o ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāiwa he pololei nō; a pēlā pū nō i ka hapanui o nā waʻa kaulua o ke kenekulia iwakālua.
Hoʻonoho ʻia kēia mau ʻiako ma luna pono o nā moʻo o ka waʻa inā hoʻokahi wale nō, a i ʻole, “inā he ʻelua papa moʻo, komo aku lākou ma loko o ka papa luna, a i ʻole ma waena o nā papa ʻelua, a kū ma luna o ka papa lalo.” Ma nā wahi a pau e kīkoʻo ai ka ʻiako ma luna o ka ʻaoʻao hāmama o ka kaʻa, aia ma laila ke wae no ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana i ka ʻiako a me ka hoʻopaʻa paʻa ʻana i ke kino o ka waʻa. ʻO nā welau o nā ʻiako, kīkoʻo iki aku ma waho aʻe o ka moʻo, a ua hana ʻia me nā puʻu liʻiliʻi a i ʻole nā ʻokiʻoki no ka paʻa pono ʻana o nā kaula kia a me nā kaula kākoʻo hope.
I nā manawa he nui, kau nā ʻiako mua loa a me nā ʻiako hope loa ma luna o nā kupe, a ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma laila. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Haddon lāua ʻo Hornell, “ʻO nā ʻiako o nā welau ʻelua, ua piʻo iki aʻe i luna ma mua o nā mea ʻē aʻe; a ʻo ka lua mai ka ihu mai, ʻoi aku kona mānoanoa a me kona laulā, a ma laila nō ke kumu i hoʻokomo ʻia ai ke kia.”
ʻO ka mamao ma waena o nā kaʻa ʻelua, he mea loli nō, ma muli o ka nui o ka waʻa a me kāna hana i manaʻo ʻia ai, a pēlā pū me ke ʻano o ke kai. Ma ke ʻano laulā, ʻo ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka māwae ma waena o nā kaʻa, hoʻonui ia i ke kūpaʻa; akā, emi ka wikiwiki, a hoʻonui ʻia hoʻi ke kūʻē ʻana o nā kaʻa i kekahi i kekahi.
Ua manaʻo ʻo James Cook he ʻewalu kapuaʻi ka mamao ma waena o nā kaʻa o kekahi waʻa kaulua he kanahiku kapuaʻi ka lōʻihi. Ma hope iho, ma kahi o iwakālua makahiki, ua kākau ʻo Ebenezer Townsend, he luna ukana, no kekahi waʻa like ka lōʻihi, he ʻelima kapuaʻi wale nō ka māwae. I ka makahiki 1843, ua hōʻike ʻia he ʻelua waʻa kaulua he kanahā-kūmālima kapuaʻi ka lōʻihi; ʻo kekahi, he kapuaʻi hoʻokahi me ka hapa ka māwae; a ʻo kekahi, he ʻeiwa kapuaʻi ka māwae ma waena o nā kaʻa.