Hokule'a Maui 2001

In celebration of her 25 years of achievement

As reported in The Maui Times Jan. 30, 2001

By Lydee Ritchie

"It was an exhilarating experience to see thousands of people greeting Hokule'a on her first voyage to Tahiti," recalls Ah Hee. "She was the first voyaging canoe to arrive there in over 500 years." Back then he also didn¹t realize the eminent importance of this traditional double-hull canoe, built to study the migration patterns of the Polynesian people.

"Hokule'a is a significant symbol for Hawaiians," says Ah Hee. "She has helped in the revival of the old ways of voyaging, she¹s motivated us to get back into our culture and to learn the Hawaiian language. In the early ¹70s our Polynesian cousins were lucky that they still had their culture and language, unlike the Hawaiian people. Hokule'a has nurtured cultural pride by motivating Hawaiians to learn their way of life."

After the persuasion of Maui buddies musician George Paoa and cultural advisor Sam Ka'ai, Ah Hee began his training on the Hokule'a under the guidance of master navigator Mau Pialug of Micronesia, who also mentored Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson. Pialug taught them the "art of wayfinding," using only traditional methods of non-instrument navigation -- the constellations, wind, and wave patterns -- to guide voyagers over thousands of miles of open ocean.

Ah Hee, currently a construction worker, was on board Hokule'a¹s first journey back in 1976 and has been on every return trip since then. Hokule'ahas made a number of journeys to the Southern islands, including Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Last year she sailed to Rapa Nui, Easter Island, thus reaching all points on the Polynesian triangle.

In 1986, Ah Hee experienced some sort of a revelation, a confirmation that Hokule'a indeed has her own mana, spiritual, supernatural power: "In 1986 we sailed from Rarotonga, Cook Island to Tahiti. We only had two days of good weather and five days of bad weather, high winds, rain, swells, overcast, we couldn¹t see anything. We could not confirm where we were. We had a meeting to discuss if instrumental navigation would be used, but we decided to wait. Within a half hour after the meeting, the skies cleared and an island appeared. Nainoa knew what island it was and exactly where we were. It was as if she sailed on her own. Knowing that the canoe has its own mana, and knowing that Na Kupuna (ancestors) were there to help guide us, kept us calm and grounded."

Today Hokule'a is making another voyage in celebration of her 25 years of achievement. She has been sailing around the Hawaiian Islands and providing educational on-board tours at various ports, free of charge.

Lahaina

She arrived in Lahaina Harbor on the 27th to a festive cultural ceremony led by Kumu (teacher) Hokulani Holt-Padilla. Holt-Padilla reopened the waters to her, since the Makahiki season, which just ended, was considered a taboo time for sailing, mostly due to rough seas. The festivities included chanting by Lahainaluna High School students and the first Maui Interscholastic League Outrigger Canoe Regatta.

"The event marked the return of an old friend who has visited Lahaina several times in the past and will tell us stories and educate us about her experiences. We invite her back home safely with open arms," says Kalei Tsuha, Lahaina¹s welcoming committee coordinator. From now to Feb. 10, the public is invited to on-boards tours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be additional displays at the Old Lahaina Courthouse. Tours and exhibits continue throughout the 24th in Ma'alaea Harbor.

Kihei for the first time

On Sunday Feb. 11, Hokule'a will be gracing Kihei¹s coastline for the first time. She will be landing about 2 p.m. to Ka Lae Pohaku Beach, the site of Kihei Canoe Club, across from Suda Store.

When she arrives in Kihei, KCC plans to welcome her with a culturally significant ceremony, rich with symbolism and colorful festivities, led by Kumu (teacher) Keli'i Tau'a, the club¹s cultural advisor.

"The na kupuna (elders) of Maui, residing from Kihei to past Makena, from makai to mauka, have been waiting for 25 years to see her arrival on the coastline on South Maui," says Alika Atay, president of Kihei Canoe Club (KCC). "We look forward to her official landing in Kihei and will greet and acknowledge her with the proper cultural ceremony."

In Kihei, and no where else on Maui, there is an area that is open for a "spiritual connection" with the Hokule'a, says Kumu Tau'a. It is called a canoe pohaku ahu, a shrine which encases rocks given by visitors as a token of their gratitude. "The rocks at KCC¹s site come from far away places such as Aotearoa, Tahiti, Japan, Cook Islands, mainland USA (Texas, Mojave Desert, Pacific Northwest), and from all the canoe clubs residing on Maui," says Atay. "Three years ago, KCC created the canoe pohaku ahu, and has been awaiting a visit from a voyaging canoe ever since."

Ma'alaea Harbor Village

She then sails that evening to Ma'alaea Harbor, where she will remain docked for on-board tours until Feb. 24th. The tours are from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a welcome dinner at Ma'alaea Harbor Village in a spacious exhibit showroom overlooking the harbor. On Feb. 13, 19, and 22, crew members will be featured in "Sharing of the Mana'o (wisdom)" talk-story events, free to the public, from 5 to 7 p.m. Speakers include navigator Chad Kalepa Baybayan, Kapena (captain) Snake Ah Hee, Phil Ikeda, Russell Mau, Archie Kalepa, and other special guests. Boxed dinners provided by Ma'alaea Harbor restaurants will be available; partial proceeds from the sales of dinners will benefit Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Molokai to Hana

On February 25 she sails to Molokai and back to Maui in Hana on March 18. She will be docked in Hana Bay until March 24. (See Hokule'a schedule of events.) "Hokule'a Maui 2001 is an educational voyage. We want to give back to the people of Hawaii, to share what life is like aboard the Hokule'a and her experiences," says Snake. He and his wife Myrna are also the Polynesian Voyaging Society coordinators for the island of Maui. "Part of Hokule'a¹s mission is to inspire and instill in youth and in the communities around the State the need to maintain pride in our island heritage, and to take care of our ocean and land, in order to sustain a safe, healthy, productive Hawai¹i." Hokule'a Maui 2001 is sponsored in part by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, The State of Hawaii Millennium Commission, County of Maui, Office of Mayor James "Kimo" Apana, and Maui Visitors Bureau.