HAWAI`ILOA-THE VOYAGE
In February, the first Polynesian voyaging canoe of this century built
primarily of traditional materials, will embark on a 6,000-mile journey of
rediscovery. The Hawai`iloa will sail from Honolulu to Tahiti, then to
the Marquesas Islands, and back to Hawai`i, exploring the open ocean route
of early Polynesian voyagers. Throughout the journey, the Hawai`iloa crew
will use only ancient methods of navigating by the stars.
This voyage will be the first time in many centuries for a traditionally
built canoe to sail to and from the Marquesas Islands, the islands from
which early Hawaiian settlers may have come. It is a historic voyage to
preserve a cultural legacy and to share age-old traditions with future
generations.
The Hawai`iloa will be accompanied by the Hokule`a, a performance-accurate
voyaging canoe which first undertook a similar journey in 1976. In
Tahiti, the two Hawai`i canoes will be joined by traditional canoes from
New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands. Exemplifying the cultural and
geographic ties that bind these island-nations, the group of five canoes
will voyage back to Hawai`i together in the spring.
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The Hawai`iloa voyaging canoe is a project of the Bishop Museum Native
Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program (NHCAP) in cooperation with the
Polynesian Voyaging Society. The Bishop Museum Native Hawaiian Culture
and Arts Program (NHCAP) was established in 1989 to promote the recovery
and development of Hawaiian culture through research and perpetuation of
Hawaiian traditions. The program gives opportunities for native
practitioners to pursue advanced studies of their art and to have a
significant role in shaping the future of the Hawaiian people. The
Hawai`iloa voyaging canoe has been the focus of NHCAP's Exploration
Project, involving the rediscovery of ancient canoe-building techniques as
well as the preparations for extensive ocean voyaging.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society, a sponsor of Hawai`iloa, can be reached
via the University of Hawaii Gopher (gopher.hawaii.edu/Around
Town/Polynesian Voyaging Society). URL: gopher://gopher2.hawaii.edu/11/PVS
Addresses:
Bishop Museum, the State Museum of Natural and Cultural History
P.O. Box 19000A, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96817-0916
Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program-Bishop Museum
680 `Iwilei Road, suite 560, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96817
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"Ho`omoe wai kahi ke kao`o (Hawaiian proverb)"
"Let all travel together like water flowing in one direction."
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Benton Kealii Pang
Botany Department _
University of Hawai`i at Manoa