Palmyra Reflections: Nahaku Kalei

Aloha mai kākou,

I feel so blessed.  From the moment we were asked to go, from the training and preparation until the day we set sail, I still couldn’t believe this was happening to me.  What a dream, what an honor, and what an experience that changed me to my core.

Hōkūle‘a, our mother, our home and honua on the great blue ocean.  Her mana is so great.  I felt it in the curled wood beneath my feet, and in the way she picked up and flew when we opened her sails.  It was through her that my voyaging ancestors were freed.  They voyaged through me, as did my father, brother and all those I supporting me back home. 

On the canoe, my crew became my family.  We created an environment that was… Iʻm at a loss for a single word… warm, glowing, positive.  It came to be because of each person onboard, and it allowed us to drop our defenses and be ourselves.  Seeing each person’s colors unfold and mix together was beautiful and I enjoyed being in the midst of genuinely good people.  Life on the canoe was "all for one" instead of an "each for his own" style as it often is on land.  I have great admiration for the watch captains and captain, because I'm sure keeping this atmosphere required great patience and a deep love for the art which they are perpetuating.

We were the lucky ones sailing, but we were doing this for home; to perpetuate the voyaging gift Papa Mau passed to the first modern Hawaiian navigators like Nainoa and Bruce; to connect children to places like Palmyra, which are models for healthy ecosystems; to gain experiences which will help shape our future decisions and ultimately the course Hawai‘i will take during our lifetime.

Most of all, I've got an itch now.  It’s an itch that starts whenever I’m inside four walls.  It's a longing to watch the stars march stately across the sky each night, and to know each one of them as old friends. It’s a wish for squally weather and a fresh water rinse after a salt water shower.  It’s the depth in the silence and the magic of music.  It’s a longing for my new family who are now old friends, and a vow not to let these bonds which were woven so tightly so quickly, disappear.

Mahalo to my crew, to Captain Bruce and Nainoa for giving me this opportunity to voyage with you.

Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo…

Nahaku