Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 6, 1 June 1997 — Hōkūleʻa voyage to Kahoʻolawe to build star compass [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hōkūleʻa voyage to Kahoʻolawe to build star compass

by Kelli Meskin After seven months of volunteering with the Polynesian Voyaging Society's (PVS) Mālama Hawai'i eduction program, I was invited to sail an interisland trip on Hōkūle'a by its navigator, Nainoa Thompson. We would sail to Kaho'olawe where Thompson proposes to build a star compass at Kealaikahiki Point to educate people about traditional navigation. The compass is a gift to the island in honor of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana and the newly created Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. "Kealaikahiki is incredibly important for a plaee to house navigation in terms of Hawai'i's deep sea voyaging heritage and the legacy that Hōkūle'a has created," Thompson said. Kealaikahiki Point (the path way to Tahiti) sits on the latitude located in the center of the Hawaiian island ehain. When Hōkūle'a returns from a voyage to the South Pacific, the crew aims to the east of the Hawai'i islands and turns west when near the latitude that lies to the center of the island ehain. Ho'olauna (introductions) We started the voyage from Moloka'i. The Moloka'i crew had been hosting Hōkūle'a after she had sailed around Kaua'i, O'ahu and Hawai'i Island for the Dast seven months.

Penny Rawlins, the first woman to sail on Hōkūle'a, Mel Paoa, a long-time crew member, and others helped us cast off to Ma'alaea harbor in Maui. Members from the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission and Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana would meet us and be our guides onee we reached Kaho'olawe. The breeze that had taken us from Kaunakakai lightened as we entered the shadow of Moloka'i's Kamakou range. Taking advantage of the ealm, Thompson had everyone introduce themselves. Kahualaulani Mie and Pi'ikea Miller are regular crew on Hōkūle'a, Atwood Makanani is a Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana member from Kaua'i. Will Kyselka, and Lee Kyselka, Will's wife, joined us. Kyselka helped Thompson integrate the culture-based star compass used by

Mau Piailug, a master navigator from the Carolinian island Satawal. Cousins Kawika Helm-Crivello and Noelani Helm, are the nieee and nephew of George Helm, an activist who protested the bombing of Kaho'olawe in the early '70s. Helm was lost at sea in 1977. Kawika, is also a member of the Moloka'i crew. Leilani Camara is a part-time immersion school teacher with Helm on Moloka'i. Alisa Rodrigues of O'ahu is a volunteer for PVS.

The sun set behind rain clouds that filled in the Pailolo ehannel and surrounded the eanoe. The enthusiasm on board carried us through the rain as we headed toward Ma'alaea harbor. We arrived on Maui around wet and windblown. Members from the Maui crew welcomed us and took us home to shower, eat and sleep. Ho'omanawanui (patience) At dawn on Friday, I awoke to the sound of pouring rain. We packed gear and picked up more provisions. Wearing long red foul-weather raincoats we met PKO, Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission and Maui crew members in a circle in the rain. The uniform made it difficult to tell eaeh other apart. Tava Taupu, a stone builder from Hawai'i island, originally from Nuku Hiva, and a long time crew member of Hōkūle'a, joined us for the adventure to Kaho'olawe. Keoni Fairbanks, the executive director, and Marc Hodges the Marine Resource Manager of KIRC planned to sail with us. Lopaka Aiwohi of PKO. Monte Costa, a photographer was documenting the trip. Bruce Blankenfeld, one of the captains of Hōkūle'a, joined Terry Hee on the escort boat. When gale force winds set in, Thompson decided to hold our launeh until first thing Saturday. Continued on next page i

m Ka Wai Ola o OHA

H'ikea Miller, Hokule'a crew member, and Leilani Camara, parttime immersion sohool teacher on Moloka'i, tie the tricing lines atter opening the back sail.

Fourth graders trom L3lie Elemtary pull Hōkūle'a ashore at Kualoa.

Hokule'a Voyage Continued from previous page Still optimistic and eager about our adventure to Kaho'olawe, I went to bed early. Saturday morning, Thompson called everyone together. He said he was waiting for the weather to change and that this front needed to hit its maximum before the wind would ealm down. Looking out in the direction of Kaho'olawe, Thompson pointed out the speed of the wind eoming through Alenuihāhā ehannel. "See those clouds past that point, just above the horizon," pointing to Kanahena point off Maui's south east end. " When you see clouds that far away moving fast you know the wind is blowing hard," he said. Some of our crew were not able to wait for the weather to change and returned home. The day was spent discussing details of building a star compass at Kealaikahiki. "The star compass would enshrine Hōkūle'a," Thompson said. "Students would sit inside the eompass as if they were on the eanoe traveling to Tahiti." Fairbanks says the star compass is exactly the kind of cultural education program KIRC sees Kaho'olawe being used for.

Ka Huaka'i (the voyage) Sunday at five a.m. everyone, rested after two days of being land locked, readied the eanoe for her next trip, and we sailed. Near Kaho'olawe, Fairbanks familiarized us with the different bays and valleys along the islands north coast — Papakaiki, Papanui, Kuheia, Oawapalua, Makaalae. At the west end of the island we rounded Lae o Kealaikahiki, Kealaikahiki Point. At Honokanai'a Bay, dolphins swam as we laid the anchor lines. When all was set we chanted to ask permission to eome on to the land. A variety of chants were created by the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation for arriving and leaving the island. Taupu and Aiwohi returned to Maui by motor boat. The rest of us hiked to Kealaikahiki Point to find a flat area to be used for the star compass. Makanani led the two-and-a-half mile hike. Along the way he pointed out petroglyphs, archeological sites and a burial spot of a person who had lived and died on the island. The bones had been unearthed by a storm and constant weathering. They have been restored and coral and other rocks mark the spot. At Kealaikahiki, four rocks, whieh archaeologists

found, line up directly with the North, South, East and West points on a compass. It was near these four rocks that Thompson and Fairbanks discussed clearing a flat area for a star compass. Thompson said he would like to see the eompass built to the dimensions of Hōkūle'a and have the navigational houses of the compass be marked with specific stones. Before the sxm set we hiked back to the eanoe for a great meal of papi'o, ehieken, salad and rice. I fell asleep on the beach to the sound of Mie playing guitar and woke up early to leave for Lāna'i. Leaving the island was difficult; we had only been there one day. The noon sun beat down on the wela (hot) deck of Hōkūle'a as we waited to be towed into Manele Bay's small boat harbor. I hid in the shade of net bunks over the port hull. Miller, the canoe-sailing travel agent, called the airlines from the cellular phone to reserve the next available flights home. Onee in the harbor, the Lāna'i crew greeted us with food, helped us tie Hōkūle'a and elean her. We left Hōkūle'a in the hands of the Lāna'i crew. The eanoe continues to grant memorable learning experiences to those who eome in contact with her. 1