The Hokule Cultural Treasure

The Hokule’a Voyage: Experiment to Cultural Treasure

Traditions and history define cultures from one another. The traditional Polynesian voyaging methods were slowly ebbing away as technology advanced. Engine powered boats and GPS rendered canoes and celestial navigation impractical. These modern day impracticalities are part of the Hawaiian culture and were almost lost. The Hokule’a and its voyages saved an aspect of Hawaiian culture. The Hokule’a is a double-hulled sailing canoe that travels across the ocean using traditional navigation. The Hokule’a voyages preserve traditional seafaring and educate current generations about it. The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission evolved over time and the Hokule’a’s purpose advanced. In the beginning

the Hokule’a was an experiment, but now it is the preservation of an important quality of Pacific Island culture and a beloved icon.
This cultural preservation started with a question, “How did the Polynesians discover and settle small islands in ten million square miles of ocean, geographically the largest “nation” on earth?” (Voyages Para.1) To answer this question the, “Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1973 for scientific inquiry into Polynesian history and heritage” (Voyages Para. 1). One of the organization’s goals was to prove that Polynesians intentionally settled in Hawaii with only a wooden canoe and their navigation skills. Once they proved that Polynesians settlement in Hawaii was not accidental, their main focus shifted to connecting the modern world to Hawaii’s culture and bringing attention to environment changes. Though these voyages are expensive, dangerous, and need an enormous amount of human resources () the desire to spread Hawaii’s culture keeps these voyages going.
Ben Finney is a co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) and he also sailed aboard the Hokule’a during its first voyage.

A quote of his summed up PVS’s goals, "We had two goals - to experiment with righting a scholarly wrong, and as a focus for cultural revival," said Ben Finney (Tenbruggencate Para. 6). He also wrote an article Titled, “Voyage to Polynesia’s land’s end.” This article is a description of the Hokule’a’s voyage to Rapa Nui. Before this voyage, a popular theory by Andrew Sharp was that Polynesian settlement was accidental (Finney page 172). Finney sought to disprove this theory with the Hokule’a. Each voyage throughout the Polynesian archipelago proved that Polynesian voyagers were not “hapless, castaways” (Para. 3). The last voyage to close the “Polynesian Trianngle” was Rapa Nui (Page 175). According to Nainoa Thompson (a navigator), the problem with voyaging to Rapa Nui was the lack of navigationally useful birds (Page 175). Therefore, to voyage to Rapa Nui the navigator of the Hokule’a would have to sight the island directly. Even though, Thompson had doubts about reaching Rapa Nui it took eight days for the Hokule’a to reach Rapa Nui from Pitcairn. With this voyage to Rapa Nui, the Hokule’a, using only traditional navigation, connected Polynesia with its

roots.
The voyage to Rapa Nui was also a way for Hawaii to share its culture. The voyagers brought three stones from Hawai’i as a symbol of the spirit of their ‘aina, which means land (Para. 31). They placed the stones at the Northwest corner of Carlos Temple, which is shaped to represent the Polynesian triangle (Para. 31). This act is a signal of, “a reunion between our two people, a joining once again of Polynesian families,” (Para.31). Also, the article by Finney described Hokule’a’s voyage as reconnecting Rapa Nui, “with their ancient voyaging heritage and the rest of Polynesia (180). In an article by Jan TenBruggencate, a Honolulu Advertiser writer, after this voyage the focus of the Hokule’a’s voyaging shifted from experimental to spreading Hawaii’s culture and knowledge of traditional navigation (Para. 3).
These voyages took a lot of preparation and resources. According to an interview with Nainoa Thompson the voyages, “cost a lot of money” (KHON2). Some major funders of PVS are Hawaiian airlines, Hawaiian Electric Co., Kamehameha schools, and American Savings Bank (Our Supporters). Hawaiian Airlines reportedly contributed an additional $100,000 to PVS for the Hokule’a’s worldwide voyage (Para. 1). The article didn’t specify how much they contributed before the addition. Also, in addition to the Hokule’a’s expenses, another canoe the Hikianalia’s must also be covered. The second canoe accompanies the Hokule’a on its journeys. The Hikianalia uses modern navigational methods and the latest ecological technology. The main purpose of the Hikianalia is to accompany the Hokule’a and warn the traditional navigators on the Hokule’a if they are dangerously off course. Though a second canoe adds to the cost of the voyages the Hikianalia is necessary for the Hokule’a’s safety. Another way PVS funds the voyages is through fundraising.
Volunteers make up the crew of the Hokule’a. On the current voyage around the world the crew includes about 40 percent experienced crewmembers, another 40 percent will be targeted for succession leadership, and the last 20 percent will be specialists, such as international journalist who will promote PVS’s education program and medical doctors. To repair the Hokule’a it also takes a lot of volunteers. In September 2010 the Hokule’a was unfit to sail, and was pulled out of the water for repairs. The maintenance for the canoe took 18 months and 28,000 man-hours of volunteer time, the amount of volunteers exceeded 1,000. Also, the expenditure for the restoration was $100,000 Nainoa Thompson summarized the restoration in an interview, “So on one side, it took the community to repair Hokule'a, but Hokule'a rebuilt the community.” The support that Hokule’a received from the community signified the Hokule’a was still significant.
The preparation for a voyage is quite extensive. Provisions are made not only for the Hokule’a, but also the Hikianalia. Food preparation is up to the cooks. According to an article by Joleen Oshiro, the first few weeks are usually fresh food like eggs, fruits, and vegetables (Para. 23). When the fresh food is gone, preserved food is a main component of the diet on board. Also, the crew fishes for food and when they catch it the chef prepares it. A few ways the fish is prepared are fried, poke, and in soups. Also, according to the article cooks are responsible for more than feeding the crew, “They are responsible for keeping up the nutrition, health -- and morale -- of those they feed,” (Para. 4) The cooks also focus on local Hawaiian foods to keep the morale up because of the mostly Hawaiian crew. Another obstacle is with food storage. The crew must strategically place all the food so the heaviest part of the canoe is the center (Para. 37). Though planning and packing for the voyage is arduous, the journey is worth it.
After preparing and getting the crew together they set sail. The first voyage was from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976. The voyage took a total of 34 days. In Papeete’s harbor, more than 17,000 people welcomed the crew. Thompson said, “So many children got onto the canoe they sank the stern,” the crew tried to politely get them off for the safety of the canoe (Finney, “1976” Para. 6). After this successful voyage many more voyages followed thanks to the help and teachings of Mai Piailug.
Mau Piailug was the navigator for the first voyage ("Pius "Mau" Piailug" Para. 1). Piailug was from Satawal, Yap State, Micronesia. He was one of the only traditional navigators to agree to guide the Hokule’a (Para. 23). The reason PVS had to reach out to him was because Hawaii did not have anyone who knew how to wayfind (traditional Polynesian navigation). Piailug shared his knowledge and taught Hawaiians and other Polynesians about wayfinding. He also taught Nainoa Thompson, the current president of PVS, how to be a navigator. Thus in 1980, Thompson became the first Hawaiian and Polynesian to use traditional navigational methods across long distances since the 14th century, when voyaging in Polynesia ended (Nainoa Thompson Para. 3). Piailug’s knowledge helped PVS’s research and revival of Polynesian wayfinding and encouraged a tradition that crosses cultural bridges.
The crewmembers of the voyages and the people who work for PVS do other things besides plan for and go on voyages. They also provide educational programs and teach people about the Hokule’a and its voyages. One way the Hokule’a is used for teaching is as a classroom. In 2003 the Hokule’a became, “a vehicle to teach about culture, the importance of learning and the environment,” (Tenbruggencate, 2002, Para. 1). Therefore the Hokule’a is not just for sharing Hawaiian knowledge and culture with the world, but also educating Hawaii’s people.
The Hokule’a’s growth from an experiment to a cultural treasure happened in over the span of almost five decades, from 1973 to 2014. Though it takes a lot of effort for these voyages, the perseverance and determination of the crew and the Polynesian Voyaging society kept it going. The purpose of this voyage is summed up by Thompson in his article that states, “What began in 1973 as a scientific experiment to build a replica of a traditional voyaging canoe for a one-time sail to Tahiti, became an important catalyst for a generation of cultural renewal and a symbol of the richness of Hawaiian culture and of a seafaring heritage which links together all of the peoples of Polynesia” (Twenty-Five Years of Voyaging Para. 30). The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s efforts to conserve and study wayfinding achieved more than they expected by receiving worldwide attention and becoming a national symbol for Hawaii.