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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| Magic Island in preparation of Hokule'a arrival |
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| 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.
