4.0 Racing
4.1 From which region did outrigger canoe racing emanate?
4.2 What are the origins behind outrigger canoe racing?
4.3 What are the origins behind contemporary outrigger canoe racing?
4.4 At what point did the sport become "organised" as such?
4.5 How many clubs and paddlers are there in Hawaii today?
4.6 Where is outrigger canoe racing practiced today?
4.7 Are cultural links important in the spread of outrigger canoe racing?
4.8 In what countries is outrigger canoeing a national sport?
4.1 From which region did outrigger canoe racing emanate from?
Contemporary outrigger canoe paddling has its origins in the Hawaiian Islands, though there is evidence that it existed in other parts of Polynesia, including Samoa and French Polynesia.
4.2 What are the origins behind outrigger canoe racing?
All that we know about outrigger canoe racing stems from the Hawaiian Islands. However records taken by early European explores confirm that canoe racing was indeed practiced in island regions of the Pacific where the canoe was used as the principal mode of transportation. Outrigger canoe racing in Tonga for example was very popular even during the 1830's.
Whilst it was also practiced in Tahiti it was not undertaken with any great regularity. During the 1880's with the founding of the July 14th Bastille celebrations, canoe racing became a regular event, but it was the only time at which racing was practiced. It was not until after 1976 that outrigger canoe racing began to become a regular year round sport. However, the Tahitians have made up for lost time, being now considered the people to beat, refining the sport to a fine art, absorbing it into their culture with great enthusiasm.
For the ancient Hawaiians, the outrigger canoe was a natural extension of their everyday life and so to it was for their recreation. Whether canoe surfing or racing, the canoe was used in play to hone the skills of the paddlers and steersman as a means of ensuring survival on the ocean. Beyond this, canoe racing itself formed the basis of entertainment for the general population. Much pride was gained in a canoe race victory, for the village and the chief. Gambling added spice to the event, putting at stake land and possessions. Unfortunately for the playful Hawaiians, the sport was outlawed soon after 1820 by an act of divine intervention with the arrival of the Boston Missionaries.
4.3 What are the origins of contemporary outrigger canoe racing?
The native Hawaiian spirit was immersed in an ocean way of life and a sense of playfulness. The ocean was their lifeblood and playground and their physical needs were being denied what came so naturally to them by the imposition established by the missionaries. This denied their true identity as Polynesians.
In 1875 when King David Kalakaua a great lover of water sports came to reign, he instigated the rebirth of canoe paddle and sailing races, surfing and Hawaiian song and dance. The Hawaiians needed little encouragement and in 1908 the first formal outrigger canoe club was founded, the Outrigger Canoe Club of Hawaii by a small group of Haole (European) businessman followed by the Hui Nalu (Surfing Club), formerly chartered by a group of Hawaiian surfers to promote surfing and swimming. By 1910 these two clubs began pitting their canoe crews against one another and so canoe racing was reborn.
4.4 At what point did the sport become "organised" as such?
Outrigger canoe racing though taken seriously was still very much randomly practiced and it was not until 1922 that the first fully fledged regatta was staged. Not until 1940 was it decided that outrigger canoe racing needed to have formalized rules and regulations to avoid some of the disagreements which began to arise as the sport took on greater status and importance. In 1950 the Hawaiian Canoe Racing and Surfing Association was founded later changing its name to the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (HCRA) to govern and set rulings for organised outrigger canoe racing throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
4.5 How many clubs and paddlers are there in Hawaii today?
There are now well over 60 clubs and 10,000 active outrigger canoeists throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The sport is recognized as the Islands national sport, however their is some disappointment at the lack of support that it is given through government fundings. The sport is an intrinsic part of Hawaiian culture though of course many of European origin, participate in a sport which for many is a lifestyle and a lifetime dedication.
4.6 Where is outrigger canoe racing practiced today?
Outrigger canoe racing has now spread from its contemporary origins in Hawaii, to all parts of the Pacific, throughout Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia. Participating countries and regions include; Australia, American Samoa, California, Canada, Cook Islands, Easter Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, ( Maui, Oahu) Hong Kong, Marianas Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Oregon,Tahiti, Tonga, Wallis Futuna, Washington State, Western Samoa and beyond this to South Africa, Britain, France and Italy with teams and individuals now paddling in international races from Hungary, Austria and Sweden.
In addition to this several native American Indian groups participate, including the Stahlo Nation and a group under the banner of the Native Participation Committee in Canada. Outrigger canoe racing is rapidly expanding to become a truly global sport.
4.7 Are cultural links important to outrigger canoe racing?
To the smaller island regions of the Pacific it is a central factor. All island groups of Oceania and the native cultures that exist throughout are intrinsically linked to the canoe, and more specifically the outrigger canoe. Taken a step further you can say with some accuracy that individual ancestry can be linked back to one great canoe journey and indeed in places such as New Zealand this is the case to the degree that many Maori can name the canoe on which their ancestors traveled to arrive in the land they called, Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. Participation in outrigger canoeing is to honour their past, their cultural origins, their ancestors and to find renewed cultural pride, identity and skills lost in a distant past.
4.8 In what countries is outrigger canoeing a national sport?
From a purely historical and cultural viewpoint, outrigger canoe racing is considered the unofficial national 'team' sport of the Hawaiian Islands - its government preferring to hold eurocentric sports in higher esteem. Hawaii remains a part of Polynesia and therefore from that perspective it can be considered the national sport. Compare this with French Polynesia, where outrigger canoe racing is the official national sport,supported by the government and more prestigious than all other sports and given plenty of media coverage on TV, having super-stars of paddling and much sponsorship.