Vaka Parangaina

 Vaka Parangaina (Tepuke)

Above and below: vaka tepuke sailing off the coast of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, during the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts.

William Keizy adjusting a scale model of a vaka tepuke that he has built for sale. Contact details are at the end of this post.

Scale model of a vaka tepuke bult by William Kiezy.

History

This type of canoe is called “vaka tepuke”, a traditional voyaging canoe that was used by the Polynesian people of Taumako to
 navigate around the eastern Solomon islands for trading and visiting relatives on other islands in what is now Temotu Province. Common in Temotu in the 18th Century, by the mid 19th Century, construction and navigation had almost ceased due to contact with outsiders and the influence of modern methods of communication.

The vaka type “tepuke” originated in Taumako, Duff Islands, Temotu Province.  According to oral tradition, the names of three men are associated with the building of the earliest vaka tepuke. These men were Luolangi, nicknamed Lata, of Mwaeva Village, Moko'uli of Takulu Village and Hinota of Vanua Village. They shared their diverse skills and knowledge in an attempt to revive the type of canoe, the vaka lua (double canoe), which their ancestors had used long before to travel across oceanic distances. However, their efforts resulted instead in an outrigger style of vessel that they called vaka tepuke. This style of craft is unique, not found elsewhere in the Solomons or the Pacific. Their canoe was completely constructed in the forest that provided all necessary materials. Its journey to the sea was assisted by a flooded river, hence the name tepuke (flood). The story of Lata Luolangi and his associates, and their labours in building the vaka tepuke is a long one, now only known to a few old people on Taumako. (Enquire William Keizy on +677 7594178.)

Vaka builder/navigator. 

My name is William Keizy, age 54. I live where I was born, on the tiny remote island of Taumako, Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. The island is home to about 600 Polynesian people. In 1979/ 1980, I witnessed my own people trying to build one vaka tepuke. They lamented that the necessary skill and knowledge was fast vanishing, and in particular the knowledge of making ropes and doing the lashings required to hold the craft together. However, there were still two old men on the island aged 70 and 80, who had the knowledge. My own understanding of vaka construction, gleaned from my father and other relatives, led me to build a vaka tepuke in 1993. This took one year.  A second was built in 1994, and is now in the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand.  My third vaka tepuke is at the National Gallery in Honiara. This one was constructed especially for the 11^th Festival of Pacific Arts held in Honiara in July 2012. I sailed this craft from Taumako to Honiara using traditional means of navigation.

I am available to assist in building traditional Polynesian canoes and to offer training in traditional navigation.

I am also an expert at building models of these kinds of canoes. Please contact me if you are interested in this.

William Keizy:   phone +677 7594178 (only works if I am near a major centre with mobile coverage)
                         Email william.keizy@gmail.com

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The crab-claw sail under construction, Duff Island. Woven pandanus is used to make the sail.

Discussing details of the construction of the vaka tepuke, Duff Island.

Shaping one of the main beams on Duff Island.

Important lashings (called haumau) used to hold the parts of the vaka tepuke together.

Vaka tepuke under construction on Duff Island.

View of the vaka tepuke being re-assembled in the grounds of the National Gallery, Honiara

On the front of the main hull, this represents the bird (Ube) who showed Luolangi Lata the correct tree to use for making the canoe.

The cross-strut with the serrated edges represents a rooster's neck and head. This symbolises Moko'uli who inspired the lashings used in this style of craft.

William Keizy and men at work

William Keizy instructing others on how to build a vaka tepuke