Flying Proa

Illustration of the proa. Courtesy of Ballou’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion/Guam Public Library System

The CHamoru/Chamorro voyaging canoe is usually referred to as a proa, originating from the Portuguese word parão which is derived from the Malayan word para. The first European reference to the proa may have occurred in March 1521, from Francisco Alvo’s logbook noting that, “many small sails approached the ship sailing so swiftly they appeared to be flying.”