Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 9, 1 September 1993 — 'This isn't about canoes and voyaging. ... it's about a [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
'This isn't about canoes and voyaging. ... it's about a
Words and photos by Patrick Johnston Hawaiian tradition has it that a man called Hawai'i Loa first discovered the Hawaiian islands and that all Hawaiians are descended from him and his wife. An altogether different Hawai'i Loa contributed in a small way to the rebirth of the Hawaiian people on July 24 when the double hulled craft was lowered into the water from a crane on Pier 35 in Honolulu harbor. The Hawai'i Loa is the culmination, not only of two years painstaking labor, but of decades of cultural reawakening for native Hawaiians. Like the Hōkūle'a of 20 years earlier it is hoped this eanoe will help Hawaiians regain pride in their culture and themselves as conveyors of that culture. Hundreds gathered on a stormy Saturday morning to witness the launching of what is probably the finest of the Hawaiian boats built. Beginning in 1992 with spruce logs donated by the Alaskan Tlingit and Haida tribes, over 200 volunteers contributed to the construction of the eanoe, whieh took plaee under the leadership of Hōkūle'a navigator Nainoa Thompson and master craftsman Wright Bowman. Unlike the Hōkūle'a, Hawai'i Loa was built with all natural materials including its huge crab elaw sail woven of lauhala. Jane Nunies and Elizabeth Akana carried out this monumental task. In 1995 the Hawai'i Loa will repeat the 2000 mile journey from the Marquesas done originally by the first settlers of the Hawaiian islands.
The launching of Hawai'i Loa seemed almost too simple after the years of carving, weaving, and preparations that went into its construction. After a lengthy blessing ceremony carried out in drenching rain, the craft, destined to become the first sailing vessel of its kind to recreate the earliest voyage from the Marquesas to the Hawai'i, was lowered gently into the water. The pū sounded; the crowd voiced its approval; history was made. History was started at least. The Hawai'i Loa is only at the beginning of its life. Barring catastrophe it will recreate one of the greatest voyages ever undertaken and eome it into contact with tens of thousands of young Hawaiians, hopefully inspiring them to the greamess that obviously was characteristic of the first Hawaiians. Like the boats built centuries ago, Hawai'i Loa's hull was built using only natural materials. Its hulls were carved with stone adzes and made water tight with the sap of an 'ulu tree. Its sails are made of lauhala and coconut-fiber sennit. Eight miles of rigging and lashing were used in the construction. After entering the oeean the Hawai'i Loa crew set about the task of putting together the boat, raising the masts and putting the final touches on the rigging. Thirty men and women that built the eanoe then took their plaee on the craft and began paddling in unison chanting "Ia Wa'a Nui" (That Large Canoe), a chant discovered in the Bishop Museum archives and translated by Mary Kawena Pūku'i. "la Wa'a Nui" has been used for eanoe launchings and arrivals since the 1975 launching of the Hōkūle'a. The boat was then tumed over to the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program, represented by OHA and NHCAP chairman Clayton Hee. NHCAP is sponsor of the Hawai'i Loa project whieh receives federal funds channeled through Bishop Museum. NHCAP contracted with the Polynesian Voyaging Society to hire Nainoa Thompson as project manager.
The building of the Hawai'i Loa could not have happened without the donation of koa logs by the Tlingit and Haida tribes of Alaska. Byron Mallott and Judson Brown of the SeAlaska Corp. represented the tribes at the ceremonies and were presented with ho'okupu from various dignitaries after the launching of the eanoe. "Our mission is to bring about a unity of spiritual and human forces," Mallott said. Their gift brought to light the serious depletion of natural resources that has taken plaee in Hawai'i. Not only the wood but most of the materials for the lauhala sails had to be imported. However, the Hawai'i Loa could still boast that all it was made of completely natural materials. Loeal koa was used for the bow stem and mo'o (side) pieces. The 'iako (cross pieces) and kia (masts) were made from 'ōhi'a logs and the railings from hau. Dr. Yosihiko Sinoto, senior anthropologist at the Bishop Museum said after the launching, "The difference between Hōkūle'a and Hawai'i Loa is that Hawai'i Loa is made from natural materials. This is a great achievement."
Tropical depression Eugene showed little eoneem for ceremony July 24 as pre-launch rituals were drenched by steady rains and chilly gusts. As testimony to the resolve of all who participated in the construction of Hawai'i Loa, the 'ai kapu ritual was carried out without major delay or incident. 'Ai kapu is the offering up of sacred foods to the eanoe deities, in particular the god Kū, so that the gods will infuse the foods with their mana. The leader of the ceremonies was Bert Kaihe Barber, who prepared the foods. He was assisted by ha'i'ōlelo Keone Nunes. 'Ulu, kumu, and hiwa coconuts were used in the ceremony and were offered to those in the kapu area, individuals identified by master eanoe builder Wright Bowman, Jr. as instrumental in the canoe's creation.
?ce of people realizing the greatness wiihin them.'
by Deborah L. Ward On a sunny July morning at Pōka'I Bay in Wai'anae, hundreds gathered on shore to watch a sight missing from Hawai'i for hundreds of years. Sailing with dignity, smoothly and confidently, a fleet of five Hawaiian canoes made a spectacular sight as they entered the bay with numerous small canoes in their wake. They were greeted in traditional style by an exchange of weleome between chanters on shore and on board the vessels. The five canoes, arriving in this order, were: • E'ala — a double-hulled eanoe built in 1981 by the youth of Wai'anae through the E'ala Youth Program. The eanoe just returned from spending 10 years on Maui.
• Hawai'i Loa — a 57-foot voyaging eanoe built with traditional methods (see story on previous page). It is the first voyaging eanoe made of traditional materials in the last 600 years in Hawai'i. • Mauloa — a 26-foot-long coastal sailing eanoe built of koa in the ancient way with stone adzes, lauhala sail, coconut sennit lashing and other materials. • Maika'i Roa — a six-man, sin-gle-hull 45-foot koa outrigger racing eanoe built in Tautira, Tahiti, and raced by the Hui Nalu Canoe Club of Hawai'i. • Hōkūle'a — a traditional dou-ble-hulled Polynesian voyaging eanoe whieh made four major voyages of 50,000 nautical miles from Hawai'i to the South Pacific and back, demonstrating that
ancient Hawaiians could travel purposefully between island groups using traditional instrumentless navigation. The arrival and celebration of the canoes on July 31 was planned by the Polynesian Voyaging Society and advisory organizations, including the Wai'anae Coast Culture and Arts Society, as the culmination of a week-long community-wide eelebration called Nā Waiwai o Ke Kai '93 and organized by the Wai'anae Coast Coalition for Human Services. It included more than 40 events providing education, entertainment, information, and activities to highlight the value of the oeean as a resource to the Wa'ianae Coast community. At a ceremony to weleome the canoes and their crews on behalf of the Wai'anae community, Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program director Randie Fong acknowledged the vision, leadership, courage and strong sense of mission of the leaders and members of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the eanoe builders and crews. He also thanked the many volunteers in the community whose support lay at the heart of the eanoe voyages' success. The challenge now is to pass this knowledge to the next generation, he said. "You see, this really isn't about canoes and voyaging at all. This is about a race of people realizing the greatness within them; the understanding that as a community we are eapable of great things. If we are grounded in our culture and dare to take risks, our Polynesian lifestyle and cultural practices will be the key to our success as a race in the 2 1 st century. That's what this is all about!" Photos by Deborah Ward
Parents of Pūnana Leo children offer ho'okupu of greeting to the eanoe crews.
"Eia ho'i nā holowa'a." Greeting the dawn ofa new era of Hawaiian exploration are: above, the Hawai'i Loa, whieh will voyage from the Marquesas to Hawai'i in 1995; at left, the Hōkūle'a, whieh led all Hawaiians on a voyage of rediscovery; below, the E'ala, built by youth of the Wai anae Coast.
The E'ala, pride of the Wai'anae Coast.