I’m writing a paper for school on the 1976 Moloka’i and the impact that the Tahitians sweeping the top four spots had on Outrigger Canoeing. The paper is going to focus on the race itself, and the questions on canoe design that arose because of it and the efforts to keep the sport culturally connected through design regulations, and why Hawai’i imposed such strict regulations while Tahiti seemingly didn’t have any problem with advancing their design.
It seems to me that 1976 is the start of modern canoe racing in Hawai’i. And what i want to do with the paper is explore why that is the start, and what is the true impact that that race had… maybe that’s a wrong assumption to make, and anyone who thinks so please let me know why.
So…
i was wondering if anyone on here was at the 1976 Moloka’i race… and could let me know anything about it—- even if you weren’t in a top crew— anything that you remember from the race would be awesome.
And.. i’m pretty sure that this has been talked about before, but not for awhile, and I think it’s interesting enough to bring up again…
what are peoples thoughts regarding design regulations in Hawai’i? There are plenty of arguments on both sides— just curious to hear what people think. What is the difference between the cultural links between the sport here and in Tahiti based on our differing design restrictions… ? Why did Hawai’i stop the development of canoes at an arbirtrary point in time while the Tahitians didn’t….. they just kept on developing their designs…?
Last time that Tahiti was brought up on the forum—- it brought out a lot of… negativity. I’m not trying to do that again— just trying to foster discussion….
.
Submitted by luke on Thu, 02/15/2007 - 11:06am.
234 Posts
consider yourself lucky…i have to write an essay on gender and what each genders role is in society…
“If you’re not certified you’re not qualified”
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 11:24am
63 Posts
Luke;
I paddled in the 1976 Molokai Race for Outrigger and I can fill you in with quitee a bit of info about that race as well as the preceding and following years!
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 11:54am
193 Posts
Hey, Luke.
Interesting topic but I know jack about design regulations. Are you talking about restrictions and limitations on length, width, height, materials and stuff like that?
Snarfblat
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 3:33pm
817 Posts
Tahitians are way cooler. Look at how much more popular paddling is in Tahiti. It is unfortunate that Hawaii decided to keep things so tightly regulated. Perhaps that is part of the reason that one man paddling has become so popular in Hawaii. There are no limits on design or materials. Boats can be as lean and light as the paddlers/makers want. Seems like people are naturally drawn towards sports where there are always more design improvements and greater oportunties for more speed.
Luke you gotta post your paper when you’re done…
C.P.L.
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 3:51pm
309 Posts
nb1376… i’ve put my time in on boring papers…. but the beauty of UH is that i can write my senior history thesis on paddling and have my professor be stoked on the topic…. just be sure to mention derrida and foucoult (sp?) and you’ll do fine on your gender paper….
and yeah, i was referring to restrictions as you mentioned…. there are restrictions on waterline, rocker, length, width, weight etc… correct? which gives the boat builders little creative room to.. explore with. i’m not putting the restrictions down, i’m just curious what people think about those restrictions and how/why they arose in terms of the link between paddling and culture in Hawai’i being different than the link in Tahiti… what happened to make the two go in different directions… will it really change the cultural connection if we make 200 pound canoes with longer waterlines..? and now that jc9_0 has mentioned it… are one-mans eroding at the cultural connection? any thoughts on any of the subjects would be appreciated—- the focus is still on the 1976 moloka’i and its impact though.
I dunno about posting the paper——-seeing as this is a… controversial subject, i’m a little scared to post it…..
nah.. hopefully it will be of.. high enough quality to post… we’ll see we’ll see..
and (Jc9_0 im not plugging these products… just mentioning them) for anybody who hasn’t checked it out yet, you guys should read Moloka’i- O’ahu through the years by Peter Caldwell and that new kanu culture book… guide to outrigger canoeing. I’ve been slowly going through them at work for the paper.. and they’re both really well done books.
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 4:25pm
234 Posts
Haha thanks, I’m sure that this isn’t going to be the hardest paper I’ll ever write in 2 days,
maybe i’ll just have to go to UH then, assuming i get a good enough grade on my essays to get in haha…good luck with your paper…i just finished mine…now i can go back to thinking up ways to talk my mom into letting me do the solo this year…
“If you’re not certified you’re not qualified”
Thu, 02/15/2007 - 5:21pm
893 Posts
How much faster would the Tahitian boats be in the channel? Does the mirage abide by these regulations? I think it’s kind of cool that OHCRA requires the use of Koa canoes in the regattas. I have so many awesome memories of paddling these boats in everything from Waikiki to the Channel, I think it would be a shame if future paddlers were denied this.Luke, I think you’ve correctly identified that race as a major turning point in paddling history. At that time, it also seemed like Tahitians would dominate forever…
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 5:44am
50 Posts
I understand that in 1976, almost all of the Koa canoes in Hawaii were measured by a few members of the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association. The intent was to gather the dimensions of existing current and older canoes built by Hawaiian canoe builders. Those measurements would be used to determine not only design specifications, but also to help define a traditional Hawaiian canoe. The Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association had defined a “Hawaiian” canoe prior to 1976, but it was not a measured canoe. It was basically greater volume aft of center, no “V”, concave, or flat surfaces, continuous curve from front to back (rocker), and weigh over 400lbs.
That is it in a nutshell, but the Tahitians in 1976 not only helped us determine a “Hawaiian” canoe, but also showed us there are faster designs, and faster paddlers. Blazing Paddles did the same thing a few years later in the Molokai Hoe with the “T” top, and angled blade paddle.
It’s important to understand your past, and preserve it.The Tahitians helped us to understand what defines a “Hawaiian” canoe, and also showed us through competition, we can all learn.
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 9:02am
193 Posts
I don’t know diddly about the actual reasons but I can think of a few reasons why requirements are imposed in canoe racing as they are in just about any other sport:
Of course, some of these problems can be addressed simply by creating more class divisions to allow participants to compete at different levels. I’d like to see an open class with no restrictions on weight and hull design. Imagine racing with a full carbon OC6 with carbon iakos and ama, etc…..
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 9:27am
817 Posts
It would be very interesting to get a Tahitian paddlers opinion on this. It must drive them nuts to come over here every year and paddle the comparatively heavy, tubby, “old” boats that Hawaii uses. Luke you gotta try and interview some old school tahitian paddlers too. Although that might be a bit difficult for your time frame.
As far as perpetuating culture. Which is better, to have a sport which is kept from evolving fully, but remains true or real? Should the sport remain a bit smaller but more real? Or should it spread over the world and expose people to the Hawaiian sport of paddling in any way possible? I’m sure even the boats we use today in Hawai are pretty far emoved from the original canoes. We use cotton rope, carbon fiber paddles, carbon fiber and fiberglass to strengthen our canoes, epoxy and polyester resins, laminated iako, so many koa trees have been harvested that most koa canoes are patchwork from several different trees, are the seams in a koa canoe stitched together or glued…the list goes on. It almost seems now that one man canoes are more popular than six mans. Is this because of how fast, light, and easy to use they are?
I’m pretty sure anyone who has seen a paddling race in Tahiti would also attest that the events are still VERY cultural, even though they use light boats and modernized equipment.
Also I think we’ve touched on this fact before, in any sport, what are more spectators/atheletes drawn towards? The old school/cultural division, or the unlimited division. How many people still race in the Malia division that is offered in races? Would elite atheletes prefer to race in a Honu Division in Kanaka races, or if given the option to race in the fuze division? (no offense to those who have a honu or endorsing the fuze) Perhaps the lone exception to the Malia idea is the ILH. All teams are required to race in a Malia. Do you think the paddlers would want to be in one if they didn’t have to? I can tell you in practice the kids sure as hell RUN for the Mirage or Bradley if they get the chance.
To Hawaii’s credit, they’ve chosen a course and stuck with it. Is it the right course? Who knows?
Sorry that got a bit off track there. Just thinking to myself. Tahitians still rule in my book. Not that my book is very good or authoritative on any subject.
C.P.L.
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 9:36am
25 Posts
Luke, be sure to check out the book “the Hawaiian Canoe” by Tommy Holmes. it has a lot of info in it about canoes and the design regulations. Great book.
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 10:31am
50 Posts
One of the most significant aspects of canoe racing is the builders talent and creativity. These are also significant aspects of culture and tradition.
Canoe builders will look at the water and weather conditions present, the intended use of the canoe, and the materials available. If the cane is to race in calm water, it wil probably be lighter, longer, straighter, and closer to the water.
If it will race in rough water, it will probably have a noticeable rocker or curve from front to back, sit a little higher off the water, and not have an extreme v shape in the front or back. It will also probably be a little bit thicker and heavier. If it is to turn in the race, there are other design traits applied.
If the canoe is designed to travel, or carry weight, it will be wider and heavier.
Luke, you have a pretty cool paper to write, good luck.
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 10:36am
642 Posts
I totally agree with jc9_0 on this topic. The reason the ancient Hawaiians made wood canoes that weighed 400 lbs. wasn`t to perpetuate “tradition”, 400 lbs was as light as they could build them and still be seaworthy.
I f you could put a 180 lb. carbon fiber canoe in a time machine and send it back to old Hawaii , do you really think the locals would opt to paddle the old hollowed out log, I would doubt it.
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 10:37am
708 Posts
What’s also an interesting fact about present day koa canoe’s is that hardly any trees big enough for a soild koa canoe exist anymore. When they built the voyaging canoes, they had to go to alaska to get the tree.
I think evolution is an inherent part of any sport or any aspect if life for that matter. The fact that we are still using koa boats shows a strong committment from the community in perpetuating the culture. We don’t see any koa surfboard these day.
Maybe its time for HCRA to take a hard look at the canoe restrictions and revise them. We all know some of the rules are kinda outdated. I don’t think restrictions inhibit creativity. In fact I think it takes a lot of creativity and wit to make a fast boat under heavy restrictions.
Dats all fer now.
Poops
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 11:27am
893 Posts
how much faster could humans go in an outrigger?Didn’t the winners last year average six something miles? I’m curious to hear from the design people on this matter. jc9, poops, AlanC, Buehler,Buehler…Buehler….?
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 12:16pm
14 Posts
Hi Luke
One of the best sources of information for this topic, which has been of great discussion here in Australia, is From Steve West from KANU CULTURE. Drop him an EMail, he is probably the most researched authority on the history of Outrigging.
One thing you have to ask yourself about all these “regulations” on weight and design was probably to stop the Tahitians competing in Hawaii. They were at the time and even now paddling more superior craft. They were unbeatable.
One other thing to ask yourself is if the sport is so cultural, why impose limits and regulations on the future advancement of outrigger design. I’m pretty sure putting Boundaries limiting the evolution of the canoe is against the “culture” of the sport, and against the Tahitians belief of cultural evolution?
I dunno, thats my 2 cents worth.
Grant M
Grant, Melbourne, Australia
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 1:48pm
90 Posts
Lukas-san,
Talk to Gale Berengue and Paul Gay about this. Gale was on the specs board for a long time and both were top paddlers during that time frame….and would love to talk story with you. Call me and I’ll get you their numbers…though maybe you can just stop by to talk to them since they both live within 5 minutes of you! :)
Happy Aloha Friday!
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 2:10pm
309 Posts
thank you very much for the responses.. i dont think i really have anything valuable to add to the discussion, but i appreciate the different views.
Actually—- as long as i’m making a post.. i might as well get out a couple of thoughts.
I think Koa canoes in regattas are awesome.. paddling a Koa canoe is a different type of experience, and that needs to be perpetuated. The art of making Koa canoes, as well as having a Koa canoe being a sort of… focal point of every club, that is awesome and something that should not be lost. It’s a beautiful thing to watch 14 completely different Koa canoes racing each other at states..
however… a fiberglass canoe made to feel like a Koa canoe is a different thing.
what are the reasons.. culturally.. to keep the restrictions? I know that there has to be some good reasons— but what are they..?
What is the cultural part of paddling…? is it the act of paddling or the canoe itself? Are one mans decaying the cultural link to paddling because they are nothing like a traditional canoe?
Though the canoe is the focal point of paddling, i, personally, do not think that it is the shape or weight of the canoe which determines if it’s cultural or not. And what is the point of stopping the evolution of the canoe at an arbirtrary point in time… The question i guess, is where do you stop it… do you let the sport keep on evolving restrictionless until you end up with a surfski…? i dont think so…
Anyways——————- for me, the point of the paper is to get to the heart of the difference between paddling in Hawai’i and Tahiti—— and i dont know what it is… so again, thank you guys for your responses.
And Jamie— i’d love to talk to them.. especially if they live close to me…
mahalo,
Fri, 02/16/2007 - 8:48pm
37 Posts
I’m very glad to see this being discussed.
Obviously, it’s not only a complicated issue (and a highly political one) - it’s also an important one when looking forward.
Three things to keep in mind when writing the paper.
1 - While it might kind of suck to be Tahitian and have to paddle a “tub” (as described above) I’m sure it’s far more annoying to have something that is a fundamental and central part of their culture (paddling) treated as if it “belonged to” someone else’s culture. At a certain level - it is this clash (“ownership” and cultural identity at an iconic level) that sustains the issue.
2 - If paddling had not be “taken away” from the Hawaiian culture for a large chunk of time (Missionaries, Christianity, “civilization”) this might be a different situation. In general, resistance to change around a cultural artifact like this (especially when it ties so strongly to cultural identity) is far stronger when that cultural identity has been threatened or damaged or lost — and seems to become strongest when you are trying to “recreate” a lost cultural artifact (ie when you don’t have the continuous history but are trying to recreate from records, best guesses and story).
3 - At a cultural level, I don’t know if there is any real record of racing being central back into history. As I understand, racing is usually considered a reasonably recent invention.
Sat, 02/17/2007 - 3:44pm
893 Posts
Racing a recent invention? As long as there’s more than one boat,it’s on! Do you really think it’s ever been different? Or is that just how my evil, competitive, western mind sees things?
Sat, 02/17/2007 - 5:27pm
14 Posts
Malachi I read something similar online @ www.coffeetimes.com/july97.htm LUKE check em out!
“When Captain Cook arrived in Kealakekua Bay in the year 1779, he reported seeing at least 1500 canoes! At the time, Hawaii must have numbered between 6,000 and 12,000 canoes for a population of 175,000 to 225,000. Here was a culture, who, dependent on the ocean, lived their life around the ocean’s vehicle, the ancient canoe. The voice of the ocean was the voice of life. Understanding its language was understanding how to live.
This was hard for the white man to grasp. The Hawaiians, always easily impressed with newer inventions, soon lost their taste for their own canoes. They greedily adopted European ways. And while at first they continued surfing the waves and challenging each other in races, the missionaries deeply frowned on this heathen behavior. Naked bodies in water asked for sin, and as far as the gambling that accompanied any sport in Hawaii, that was a route to hell.
Gradually, both the Hawaiian canoe and the water sports surrounding it, disappeared. An underground movement, loyal to its past, lived on.”
Canoe racing would be different if the missionaries didn’t come! Then I wouldn’t be distracted by all the naked chicks on the beach.
Sat, 02/17/2007 - 10:56pm
817 Posts
funny that gambling should be mentioned as well. from what i hear the gambling aspect is still alive and well in Tahiti also.
C.P.L.
Sat, 02/17/2007 - 11:26pm
893 Posts
1500 canoes? Must’ve had some serious contact that day-Racin’ is Rubbin’!
Sun, 02/18/2007 - 3:37am
50 Posts
A kamaaina view of the Koa canoe.
When I arrived in Hawaii I was very fortunate to meet people who loved Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing.
They had a deep pride in what their ancestors had done, and an even deeper pride in being able to perpetuate that.
The Koa canoe to them was a family member, and treated with the same respect and aloha as a tutu or uncle, or any other family member. The Koa canoe represented not only the past, but also the life on land being able to be a part of the life on the sea. That Koa canoe carried a spirit shared by any one lucky enough to paddle in one.. When you paddle in a Koa canoe you carry the spirit of the life the tree had on the land into the spirit it shares with the sea. It truly is alive.
Learning about the sport, the culture, and the traditions, the Hawaiians were, and still are, very ingenious at utilizing materials available to them. At some point, the “traditional” canoe did not use materials found only in Hawaii. It is impossible to determine when that was, but it is possible to determine what was the Hawaiian canoe builders idea of a racing canoe.
Understanding that original Polynesian settlers in Hawaii had an idea of canoe shapes based on their home islands, they chose shapes in Hawaii probably best suited to prevailing Hawaiian conditions. Part of the tradition of the Hawaiian canoe is it’s shape being unique to Hawaii.
Marshall Island canoes look different than Tahitian, which look different than Fijian, which look different than New Zealand, and so on. In certain conditions certain shapes perform better.
Perhaps the major concern with HCRA in maintaining the traditional Hawaiian canoe, is allowing fiberglass, carbon fiber, kevlar, etc. into the structural construction of the hull. The feeling is that once the hull itself has material other than wood (rules currently do not allow any non wood materials other than an epoxy or resin type finish used only as a finishing coat), the next step could be a fiberglass shell with a veneer finish.
The HCRA rules in place now are almost entirely for the HCRA State Championships, a regatta race.
All of the other associations in Hawaii follow the HCRA rules to a point, but because each association is different, they adopt and adjust the rules accordingly.
There are more and more opportunities to race in canoes from different parts of the world by travelling to those places. The paddlers there are proud to share their canoes. We can also, as suggested earlier, create divisions for other canoe designs.
It’s not an easy thing to do at times, but let’s keep our pride in Hawaii and things Hawaiian. We can do that with forums like this.
Mahalo for the opportunity Luke.
Tue, 02/20/2007 - 11:26am
222 Posts
Just happened to be in Costco in Lihue yesterday and noticed a book there that might be worth a look:
Molokai-Oahu Through the Years: A History of the Molokai Outrigger Canoe Race
Tue, 02/20/2007 - 11:40am