HAWAI‘I VOYAGING COMMUNITY HONORS MASTER NAVIGATOR, MAU PIAILUG

In honor of legendary Master Navigator Mau Piailug who passed away on July 12, members of ‘Ohana Wa‘a (the Hawai‘i voyaging community) gathered on July 24 at Lāna‘i Lookout to experience sunrise and to reflect, remember, mahalo and aloha “Papa Mau.”

“Mau is our teacher and father at sea,” shared Polynesian Voyaging Society Chairman Nainoa Thompson.  “While he is not here with us physically, we continue to learn from him.”

“He gave us very clear instructions to protect and preserve who we are by knowing where we came from,” continued Nainoa. “To accomplish this, he directed us to learn, to teach, to sail and to be unified.”  Therefore, after the sunrise gathering, Hōkūle‘a embarked upon a statewide sail to visit communities Papa Mau loved and who loved him.  With 20 legs and opportunities for 200 training crewmembers to sail, this voyage honors Papa Mau by following the path he forged.

Beginning at Lāna‘i Lookout, one of the special places Papa Mau designated in Hawai‘i as a significant navigational learning site for reading the signs of nature, attendees greeted the sun. Following, members of ‘Ohana Wa‘a gathered at the Marine Education Training Center on Sand Island to prepare Hōkūle‘a to sail to Kaua‘i later that morning.  Additionally, they collected unstrung flowers to scatter at sea in honor of Papa Mau.

On her sail through the islands, Hōkūle‘a will be met by her sister canoes, Makali‘i and Hōkūalaka‘i. The three canoes will sail together sharing Papa Mau’s aloha for our islands.

In Mau Piailug’s honor, the Polynesian Voyaging Society is collecting donations to assist his ‘ohana and community in Satawal. “We are tremendously grateful for the precious gift that was kept alive on Satawal and shared with us through Mau,” explained Nainoa. “And, we wish to mahalo Mau’s family and community for their generosity and aloha.”

For those who wish to contribute, donations may be sent to:
The Polynesian Voyaging Society
10 Sand Island Parkway
Honolulu, HI 96819

Please, make checks payable to the Polynesian Voyaging Society and be sure to specify that your donation is “In Memory of Mau” to ensure that 100% of your contribution goes directly to Satawal.

Hōkūle‘a journey honors navigator