In a strange story out of Hawaii, the outrigger canoe, a symbol of Hawaiian heritiage and seamanship, has become a target for vandals recently on the isalnd of Oahu. Hui Nalu Canoe Club on Maunalua Bay was hit by vandals this week as someone apparently snuck into the storage area and cut the ropes connecting ama’s on 16 separate boats.
The vandalism was first discovered as members were aproximately a half-mile from shore on Maunalua Bay. Paddlers noticed the cut ropes, which could have created chaos if the ama had seperated from the body of the canoe, making it nearly impossible to float the craft. The rest of the vandalized boats were found after the crew made it back safely to the club.
“(The) ama is what keeps us from flipping over back and forth so it’s vital, we can’t go out basically,” said Kona Baker, a member of Hui Nalu. “There’s so many things to do in Hawaii and to just do a senseless act like this.”
The club has 500 members ranging in ages from eight to 80. Older members of the club fixed the canoes before after-school programs began and told KHON2 in Hawaii that other clubs on the island had seen vanadalism recently as well.
In April, Waikiki Surf Club had a number of boats tagged with graffiti in a spate of vandalism the club says has cost them hundreds of dollars and was considered an “attack on Hawaiian culture.” Hui Lanakila Canoe Club had a racing boat put out of commission when one of the seats was kicked in and crushed. All of the clubs have significant history on the island, both culturally and in terms of years in existence. The Waikiki Surf Club was formed in 1948 while the Hui Nalu was founded in 1908 by a trio of waterman including Duke Kahanamoku, accordint to its Facebook page. Canoe clubs compete against one another in traditional races throughout the islands.
There’s no known motive for the vandalism which makes the string of crime all the more perplexing to locals.
