Saturday, June 17, 2017

A History in making: the Hōkūleʻa Homecoming part 1

http://www.hokulea.com

The story of Hōkūleʻa begins with the story of voyage that first brought the Polynesians to the archipelago of Hawaiʻi. It all began in as early as 300-600 AD, when Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands, 2000 miles away, traveled to Hawaii’s Big Island in canoes. The canoes were great double-hulled vessels capable of carrying people along with their supplies, domesticated animals, and planting materials.



Polynesia and Hawaii 

These voyagers have developed highly sophisticated navigation systems based on observations of the stars, the ocean swells, the flight patterns of birds and other natural signs to find their way over the open ocean.

The basic canoe of the Polynesians was the double canoe made of two hulls connected by lashed crossbeams. The double hull provided the much-needed stability to survive on the high islands and atolls they found in the sea. The central platform laid over the crossbeam provided the living, storage and working place for thousands of miles long journey.

But as years passed, the canoes and ships modernized and these ancient voyaging wonders started disappearing from the sea and only left in memories and folklore.

Along with the ancients’ canoes, the art of skilled navigation was also lost to modern machines and GPS systems. No captains could read the sun, moon and stars to retrieve the path again that lead to discovery of Hawaiian Islands.

But, this loss of culture was not acceptable to one man, Herb Kane, a resident of Oahu. He was an artist and avid paddler with an interest in Polynesian voyaging.

He has envisioned a double- hulled sailing canoe that could sail the Pacific from Hawaii to Tahiti, and reignite the spark to unite the people of Polynesia. But, there was no one in Hawaii who knew the ancient technique of canoe building with navigating, route-planning, and way finding.

A Peace Corps volunteer Mike McCoy has worked on the Island of Satawal and knew a man named, Mau Pialiug, a native Micronesian who was a master navigator. In 1973, Mike invited Mau to the island of Hawaii, where he met cultural anthropologist Ben Finney, the man who—along with Herb Kane—would become co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Mau Pialiug
Together they built Hokule‘a, it was launched  on March 8, 1975, from Kualoa on the island of Oahu.
The canoe is named after zenith star Arcturus, which passes directly over Hawaiian Island and literary translates into “the star of gladness.”

After it’s lunch in 1975, it sailed across various Hawaiian Islands, awakening long dormant pride in the hearts of Hawaiian people and reviving the art of Polynesian voyaging and brought about Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance.

And in 1976, Hokule‘a departed on its first 2500 miles long maiden voyage to Tahiti to retrace the path of its ancestors. Crew was chosen from various islands, along with cultural anthropologists and the leadership of master navigator Mau, Hokule‘a set sail without a compass or maps.

It arrived in Tahiti after 31 days at sea, receiving a grand welcome from 17,000 Tahitians. First time in 600 years, the ancient route between Polynesia and Hawaii was navigated.

arrival of Hokule'a afterTahiti voyage in 1976
But, during its second voyage to Tahiti in 1978, tragedy struck on the starting day of sail. Just 12 miles south of Moloka‘i, Hokule‘a capsized due to strong winds. The canoe was damaged and the crew clung to the damaged vessels waiting for rescue. A North Shore lifeguard—Eddie Aikau—decided he would paddle a rescue surfboard in an effort to find the crew help. Although the crew was saved three days later, the great surfer Eddie Aikau was lost to the sea.

Eddie Aikau, courtesy: Wikimedia

Today, Hokule‘a continues to sail across the Pacific and the trips have encouraged the culture of voyaging across other ancient cultures around the world. It specifically inspired the Maori’s from New Zealand to revive the ancient art of canoe building.  




In the summer of 2014, Hokule‘a embarked on a round the world voyage to 26 countries. The voyage is entitled “Malama Honua,” which translates “to care for our Earth,” and the sail aims to raise awareness for a peaceful and sustainable future.

 Map of 'Malama Honua' journey . http://www.hokulea.com

On this worldwide voyage, it was accompanied by its sister vessel Hikianalia.

During this 3 years of “Malama Honua” journey, it has sailed 40,000 nautical miles around the world. Finally, it is coming home on June 17, 2017 at Oahu’s Magic Island.  

A grand ceremony, welcoming the crew members back home is planned to take place tomorrow at Magic Island The ceremony starts at 7 AM with the arrival of the canoes and will last till 5.30 PM.
The ceremony is a joint venture of  US Navy and the Polynesian Voyaging Society.


Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 


Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival 

In celebration of Hōkūleʻa’s Homecoming after voyaging around Island Earth, Polynesian Voyaging Society invites our local and global community members to gather for a three-day summit to discuss mālama honua stories of hope inspired by the Worldwide Voyage and develop sail plans for the future of Hawaiʻi and our planet.

“It is the realization of decades of hard work and planning on behalf of the PolynesianVoyaging Society crew and our partners and friends around the world to embark on the final leg of Hokule`a’s voyage and return home,” said Nainoa Thompson, president of Polynesian Voyaging Society. 

“Watching Hokule`a crest the waves of Oahu’s south shore as she returns home, much like the canoes of our ancestors, will be a once in a lifetime experience. We are overwhelmed with emotion at all we have accomplished during this historic voyage and we look forward to setting sail on the next chapter together.”

We are in the wake of our ancestors,” said Bruce Blankenfeld, Hokulea captain and navigator. “And the heart of all of this is exploration. Every time we voyage, we grow, we learn new things.”

Hokule`a and Hikianalia will sail around the Hawaiian Islands in the fall to reconnect with communities and schools sharing what they’ve learned on the voyage.



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