Outrigger Canoe (Va’a), 1932
I.E. Walker, Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia

The island of Tahiti is roughly 90 miles in diameter and is ringed by coral reefs. The reefs protect the shoreline from rough surf and create lagoons full of various types of fish.

Narrow canoes with a round bottom like this one need an outrigger for stability and balance. Islanders use these canoes in the protected waters to set fish traps and gather fish with line and nets. They sometimes fish at night using torches to attract the fish to the surface where they can be gathered into the canoes.