Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 12, 1 December 1999 — Kahi's journey [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kahi's journey

By Jayson Harper THERE'S A photograph of Donna "Kahi" Kahakui as a child in the back of a eanoe her father is ™ steering. Hawai'i's top woman paddler doesn't remember being there, but the photo symbolizes what was to be her life's mission. Kahi's father tells her she was genetically designed to paddle, and no one would dispute his

conclusion. This year Kahakui paddled 130 miles from the Big Island to O'ahu, a feat aeeomplished by no other woman or man.

In the process she raised awareness of marine life and the oeean. She also raised $50,000. Next year she plans to break her own record and take her message to the continent with a 300-mile

In the next few months Donna Kah akui wi llhe training for one of the higgest solo pacUles of her hfe, 300-mile journey through icy Alaskan waters.

paddle in Alaska. "This is the

. only way that I ean see that I ean make a statement," says Kahakui. "This is what I need to do to get people to understand that we need to take care of the oeean." Several years ago Kahakui combined her passion for the

oeean with her talents as a paddler and founded Kai Makana, a nonprofit organization that also seeks to increase awareness of the marine environment. Kai Makana's activities were launched with her 80-mile paddle in a single-per-

son eanoe.

With the help of Nainoa Thompson, master navigator of the Hawaiian sailing eanoe Hōkūle'a, Kahakui will paddle from Ketchikan to Juneau, Alaska. "I don't think about the risks

muiwo. JUOO involved," she says. "My fiiends, my family, they think about the risks." Kahakui's extreme sports adventures have got people taking notice. Volunteers for Kai Makana have grown in number ffom a handful to nearly 100 people. Kai Makana, whieh translates to "Gifts from the Sea," hosts educational beach cleanups, participates in studies and projects to protect endangered maiine

animals, and partners with eommunity groups to identify problems anel motivate the public to "do something" to preserve the oeean. Many things that motivate Kahakui to paddle for the environment: a photo of a turtle with tumors, a story from Maui about a baby dolphin caught in a net See JOURNEY on page 11

n n n 9-"' \ J • \ u .. U U " ^

Donna Kahakui is all smiles after completing her Maui to O'ahu solo paddle.

J0URNEY

From page 10 while two adult dolphins hovered, a plastic bag drifting in the waters off Ala Moana Beach. "Being Hawaiian, you inherently have that responsibility," says Kahakui. "My gramma's always taught us responsibility and taking care, taking only what you need. "Especially in our culture, the Hawaiian culture, you've got to take care of all aspects of the environment from the mountains down to the oeean, including the oeean." Kahakui says she is frustrated at times with the apathy of people who use the oeean for recreation. One of the ways she seeks to create change is by focusing awareness efforts on water sports enthusiasts. Creating partnerships with eanoe clubs to identify problems with oeean and organizing effr>ns to find solutions, Kai Makana hopes to reach these people.

"Surfers, paddlers, swim-mers-they're the ones that should be the most aware because they're out there in the oeean. They see the damage; they appreciate the wildlife." Children are another focus of

Kai Makana's efforts to educate and empower the community to take action. "Kai Makana is not Donna Kahakui alone — I ean only paddle for so lonn and so

far," says Kahakui, "It's people — ordinary people like you and me — doing our part to elean up." Her goal is to make people ffom all walks of life, business, government, individuals, aware of their connection to the oeean environment.

| Kahakui doesn't | consider herself I anti-business, antiI tourism or anti-fish-I erman. She says she ; realizes the contri1 hulion of these

industries to our island. But she advocates for responsibility. "The environment doesn't vote. That's why I stand

up for the oeean. 1 It's like a child. You have to take care 1 of it; you have to nurture it on a eonI tinual basis. "We're all intertwined.

Kai Makana is about re-connecting people with the oeean." With whale season coming up, Kahakui looks forward to her winter training. Not all of it will be in the oeean. One way she seeks to ready herself for Alaska's freezing weather is by carting a rowing maehine into a refrigerator facili-

ty and working out in the cold. Thompson and Kahakui will be studying Alaska's currents and tides over the next few months, charting the journey and identifying places the team ean stop along the way. Kahakui hopes to talk to villagers along her route, go on hikes and leam more about how the land affects the oeean. Alaska and Hawai'i have a eonneetion despite opposite climates and topography. Migrating whales have brought marine debris from Alaska to Hawaiian waters. During the last leg of this year's Big Island — O'ahu paddle, Kahakui was joined by single-person canoes and boats cheering her on. Her Waikīkī Beach landing was heralded by the loeal press. Hawai'i was forced to pay attention to a 35-year-old woman who overcame exhaustion, and dehydration in the name of the environment. Her latest goal will take Kai Makana's message to the nation. ■ •