In early June (4-6), Recovering Voices hosted researchers from the University of South Florida to use digital strategies including specialized imaging and 3D scanning, for the documentation of a 19 foot long Hawaiian wa’a (canoe) from the collections of the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The wa’a was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1887 by Queen Kapi’olani of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. At the time of its donation the canoe was said to be 100 years old, which would make this wa’a the oldest Hawaiian wa’a in a museum collection today. The digitization, imaging, and 3D scanning of the wa’a is of a larger project focused on Oceanic canoes being carried out with Hawaiian and Māori carvers and canoe builders and staff from NMNH and the Asia Pacific American Center (APAC).
3D Specialist, Jorge González García , from USF DHHC uses a structured light scanner to document the wa’a. You can see the the 3D data being captured and aligned on the laptop as the scanning records a section of the wa’a. Image: Recovering Voices
The wa’a was exhibited in National Museum’s Ships & Boat display in what is now the Arts & Industries Building until the 1960s. The wa’a was then transferred to the National Museum of Natural History’s Anthropology Department. In 2004 it went on display in the NMNH exhibit Na Mea Makamae o Hawai'i - Hawaiian Treasures (2004 – 2005). In preparation for going on exhibit, the wa’a was cleaned and repaired by the conservators in NMNH’s Anthropology Department and the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute. The preservation process allowed the conservation team and Oceanic Curator Adrienne Kaeppler to fully inspect the wa’a. Over the wa’a’s some 230 years of existence the canoe has aged. For example, the team found that the ‘iako (outrigger) had insect damage. The likely culprit was an infestation of bees. To prevent further damage to the ‘iako, the conservators filled in the holes with foam pellets and epoxy, and also replaced several pieces of the wa’a due to age-related damage. The original u-shaped wae (spreaders) no longer fit inside the hull, so new parts were commissioned and made by Hawaiian artisans.
Smithsonian collections staff moved the wa’a from the storage cradle to the scanning platform to make access to the wa’a easier for scanning. Image: Recovering Voices
When the current project around the wa’a was being developed by Joshua Bell (Curator of Globalization, NMNH), Kālewa Correa (Curator of Hawai’i and Pacific America, APAC), James Eruera (Director of the Te Tapuwae o te Waka The National Canoe School), and Hawaiian canoe builders Raymond and Alika Bumatay in 2017, digitization of the wa’a was actively discussed. Inspired by other museum based digitization projects, such as the Tlingit-Smithsonian Collaborations, the group became excited about the possibilities that 3D scanning and imaging the wa’a creates for extending access to the wa’a for Pacific communities and for its ability to provoke discussions about canoe building traditions. These technologies also help researchers ask new questions about the life story of the canoe, including construction techniques, materials, use and history. Finally, these technologies also help with preservation strategies for the canoe, offers digital archival potentials, and provides increased visibility and interpretation potentials, with online sharing and exploration, 3D annotated tours and through virtual and augmented reality, and will provide new visualizations to help in research and understanding of traditional canoe making traditions and technologies.
Because the scanner is a line of sight instrument, Smithsonian staff rotate the wa’a in order to make the underside visible and accessible for 3D documentation. Image: Recovering Voices
When approached about this project Vince Rossi, Senior 3D Program Officer of the Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office, put the team in touch with the University of South Florida (USF) Library’s Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections (DHHC) Center. 3D and archaeological specialists there include Drs. Lori Collins and Travis Doering, and Jorge González García. The USF team travels to many places to 3D scan important cultural objects and landscapes, has a history of collaboration with the Smithsonian in the area of 3D digitization, and has decades of experience in 3D digitization and virtual presentation and modeling of large and complex items. This makes the USF-Smithsonian partnership ideal for the wa’a documentation project. In 2017 they worked on a similar project for a dugout canoe that washed ashore in Brevard County, Florida, after Hurricane Irma. Using 3D and photogrammetric images collected by the USF team, researchers were able to examine details such as as-built design, and cross sections revealing hidden tool marks and measurements. These models have allowed researchers to explore multiple theories concerning the origin and age of the Florida canoe, and have provided a way to bring the object to a wider audience for digital exploration and sharing, including developing innovative classroom applications through the library’s digital collections.
Scanning the interior of the wa’a, USF 3D Specialist Jorge González García is able to record the geometry and textures of the vessel in high-resolution detail. Image: Recovering Voices
To complete the complex process of scanning the Hawaiian wa’a, the team used a structured light portable 3D scanner. This type of scanner uses a projected pattern of light to capture geometry of an object combined with color imagery mapped to the surface, producing a highly accurate and representative 3D model. Standard and specialized photography, including photogrammetric techniques using targets and scales, were also performed, providing detailed documentation and assisting with color and texture data capture. Assembling the laser scanning data, along with the photographic images using 3D modeling and visualization software and techniques, is allowing high resolution renders, animations, and highly realistic and accurate 3D models to emerge.
Parts of The Hawaiian Wa’a. Image: http://nakoakai.com/canoe/
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Wa’a Project is that the 3D model of the canoe will be made available to the communities of origin. Access to the 3D model of the wa’a will hopefully help canoe carvers revitalize and sustain their traditional knowledge of canoe building.
By: Dawn Carver
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