Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 May 2006 — WAʻAPALOOSA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WAʻAPALOOSA

By Sterling Kini Wnng Publicatinns Editnr

Every spring, Lahaina, Maui, turns into a virtual traditional eanoe factory, with master carvers from around the Pacific descending onto Front Street to fashion brand new wood canoes "from tree to sea" in just two weeks. Starting May 13, eanoe carvers from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Tonga, and Hawai'i will begin paring the bark off of seven albizia trees, some up to 50 feet long. Using both traditional implements and modern power tools, crafters will transform the logs into canoes, eaeh featuring the unique traditional designs of the five Pacific Island cultures. The event, called the International Festival of

Canoes, began in 1998 as a one-night celebration of a cultural practice that connects islands throughout the Pacific. Over time, the event increased to 15 days and expanded beyond just canoes, highlighting such Pacific Island arts as traditional weapons, tools, surfboards, feather work, drums and Hawaiian thatched structures. Scattered throughout the festival will be seminars, demonstrations and performances. The event, whieh is organized by the Lahaina Town Action Committee, will culminate on the last two days with a parade showcasing the finished canoes and a ceremony in whieh symbolic ti-leaf-braided umhilieal cords are cut and eaeh eanoe is "birthed" into the oeeai. □ - >

lnternational Festival of Canoes May 13-27 Kamehameha Iki Beach and Banyan Tree Park Lahaina, Maui www.mauicanoefest.com Parade of Canoes Front Street May 26, 6 p.m. Closing launeh ceremony Kamehameha Iki Beach May 27, 6 p.m.

- NĀ HANANA • EVENTS

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