Teacher Training Voyage: June 2010

Hōkūleʻa Voyage to Kahoʻolawe and Kalaupapa Reflection

Thursday, June 10 – Wednesday, June 16, 2010

 By Linda Furuto

Personal Background and Overview

Growing up as a child in the North Shore community of Hauʻula, I never dreamed I would have the honor and privilege of sailing with the Hōkūleʻa to the sacred locations I voyaged to this past week.  Through this reflection, I would like to share the ways my life and many others have been shaped by the waves of her influence, as well as educational lessons imparted.

The earliest recollection I have of the Hōkūleʻa occurred in kindergarten when my class tried to build the canoe out of popsickle sticks and brown paper bags.  I don’t know if it could actually float, but we were so proud of it!  As a student in the Hawaiʻi public school system, I loved learning from my kupuna who taught Hawaiiana 2-3 times per week.  It was there I first learned to play the ukulele in the 3rd grade from Kupuna Aiu.  I remember my favorite song was Hōkūleʻa Hula by Carlos Andrade, a native of Kauaʻi who recounted the challenging voyage from Aotearoa to Tonga and Samoa in May 1986.  The following verse is from this song that touched many.

“Outbound for Tongatapu, Aotearoa goodbye;

Leaving on the Southwest wind,

Hōkūleʻa spread your wings and fly,

Ancient Polynesian pathway, carry us home again,

Sail on, and on, and on, till the journey’s end.

Chorus:

Follow the stars at night, high in the Southern skies,

Ke Aliʻi o Kona i ka Lewa into the night while Orion dies.

Southern Cross is spinning slowly,

Aloha nui, goodbye.  Aue Hōkūleʻa, te vahine o ke kai.

Aue, aue, hi.  Aue Hōkūleʻa, te vahine o ke kai.”

The journey with the Hōkūleʻa continued into junior and high school.  After learning about physical science, astronomy, and biology at Kahuku High and Intermediate School, I completed my 8th grade science project on “Lessons from the Hōkūleʻa: Measurement of Stars, Wind, and Swells”.  I actually made it to the Windward District Science Fair!  Upon transferring to Punahou, I had the great honor of learning how to paddle off of Magic Island from Marion Lyman-Mersereau, who was a fellow crew member of Hōkūleʻa.  She frequently reminded us that the Hōkūleʻa is not just a canoe, but rather a source of inspiration, hope, and wisdom. 

These formative experiences laid the foundation for exploring educational lessons and global messages in preparation for the worldwide voyage in 2013.

Voyaging to Kahoʻolawe and Kalaupapa

            This past week, the dream of travelling with the Hōkūleʻa was fulfilled alongside elementary, middle, high school, and university educators from fields including mathematics, science, English, history, Hawaiian/Pacific studies, and more.  From Oʻahu, we sailed to Lanaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, the north coast of Molokaʻi and Kalauapapa, and finally back to the Marine Education Training Center.  Sometimes life offers us opportunities that change us forever, and that is what happened as we traversed in the footsteps of generations passed.

Through the Hōkūleʻa, I know we can touch the four corners of the globe with educational messages of sustainability, marine conservation, reciprocity (the importance of receiving and giving back), voyaging, and the significance of cultural beliefs and traditional values.  Some of the mathematical highlights included diving the north coast of Molokaʻi and incorporating algebraic matrices, seeing linear functions in the highest sea cliffs in the world at Kalaupapa, and finding trigonometric applications with the stars at Honokanaiʻa, Kahoʻolawe.

The Hōkūleʻa embodies the message of mālama, of caring for each other, and represents resourcefulness, inventiveness, wisdom, and courage.  This voyage showed me how Hōkūleʻa has the power to reconnect with people of common ancestry and reawaken pride in rich traditions.  I hope that through this upcoming worldwide voyage, we will continue to cross oceans as we work toward cultural harmony, historical reverence, and a voyaging spirit in an increasingly interconnected world.  Through this we will expand our vision of global kinship, perpetuate our heritage, and encourage stewardship amongst our greater community. 

Among the lessons learned, there is one that I hope to always carry with me as a guide.   We Hawaiians are known for their generosity, hospitality, and warm-sharing as evidenced by the nature of Hōkūleʻa.  This giving nature is grounded in the principle of reciprocity.  We need to remember where we came from, and always give back to the community, the people, and the land.  Only through doing this can we connect wisdom grounded in the past with hope for a beautiful and bright future. 

ʻAʻohe lokomaikaʻi i nele i ke pānaʻi.

No kind deed has ever lacked its reward.

I will always be grateful for giants in the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the mana of Hōkūleʻa in my life that continue to raise the islands of my sea.