A four-year trip around the globe will begin with Juneau in Juneau, which is this month. It is expected that the Polynesian Voyaging Society will take the Hokule’a, the double-hulled, wind-powered sloop that was constructed 50 years ago. It has been on 14 trips since — more than 40000 miles around the world.
The trip is dubbed Moananuiakea The journey is called Moananuiakea, and the team’s objective is to gain knowledge about the stewardship of land and the unity among Indigenous communities across all of the Pacific Ocean.
The KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey spoke with Nainoa Thompson who is the president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Thompson first visited Alaska in search of logs suitable for a voyaging canoe, after an unsuccessful search in Hawaii was unsuccessful.
Nainoa Thompson looked for nine and a half years. Let’s look at the facts. We located trees large enough for the size we required for the hulls to this canoe out of our forests, however they’re not healthful enough. What we discovered within our forest was a sad tale, and we’re not able to construct any canoe at all today. The fact that 90 percent of our koa forests — which is the preferred wood, also known as hardwood, in Hawaii’s forests — have been logged and the majority of it was taken over by cows.
For nine and a half months, we didn’t locate these trees. We could not find it. This was similar to the very first trip we made that we could not locate our location. It was extremely painful for us.
Captain Vancouver during his visit to his trip to the Hawaiian Islands, wrote in his journal that the canoe he measured was long by 108 feet on Kauai Island. Kauai It is twice the size of Hokule’a, our canoe. It was also made of, as he wrote in his journal it was made of most exquisite pine. Pine isn’t native in Hawaii. Hawaiian Islands.
When he asked the chief about where the trees came from, he told him that they were a gift of gods. The logs were of driftwood. And we believe the trees could be, as they were pine from The Pacific Northwest. The way I got involved was just a phone call from an elder who had a wonderful relationship to one of our Lingit elders from Southeast Alaska. The name of the elder is Judson Brown.
He just stated, “Okay, we will give you two trees for your canoe that will carry your heritage However, you have to contact this guy and to Byron Mallott, who is the CEO of Sealaska.” On the phone conversation I was not there. However, I was informed that Byron basically told Byron, “Okay, we’ll give you the trees” but he also had three conditions.
And the other was, must never inquire about how much it will cost, and it’s not really a gift. He also said, “Don’t ever bring these trees back. When we hand it over to you, you’re accountable for the trees.” The third point was “We’re in no way giving you trees or wood. Our children are our trees … The connection with the land for more than more than 12,000 years with Alaska is about ensuring that the things in the forest and oceans are part of our family, and we tend to them.” .”
It was a significant assertion of the reason we’re in this place today. It’s about family celebration.
Ernie Hillman pulled the tape measure in order to gauge the size of the tree. He told me, “Look, this tree was found for our specifications, that’s what you’ve been looking for.” He was very stern with me, and was strict. I truly appreciated it.
He then asks, “Shall we cut it down?” And I told him “no.” So the man became quieter. And I did as well. I returned home on a plane to join the director’s board in Honolulu. This is the main difference. The board of directors receive their monthly pamphlets and only what they get is a plan and a piece of wood.
What I noticed was the stark distinction between the wild and the alive and still untamed and strong in the Alaskan forest as opposed to the aridity of our own. It was a struggle to cut down the trees.
The capability to harvest the trees was a requirement for Alaskans along with Hawaiians and those from Hawaii join forces, and they began the process of replanting our forests. The Alaskans visited Hawaii and, for a single weekend we planted 80,000 koa trees, then we fenced it off to keep cattle and pigs away. In this forest, it’s an agreement, isn’t it? We made a promise.
Yvonne Krumrey: One question I asked that really stood out from what I’ve read so far about the expedition towards Yakutat is that this is the first time that they were welcomed by the yaakw, also known as a canoe, in the past 100 years. And I believe that this trip is a fascinating time of change in Southeast Alaska where Lingit people are beginning to experience these moments and experiences that they’re creating and working towards which they’ve not experienced in the past 100 years.
Can I ask why do you start this journey from Juneau? What is the reason to go up to Yakutat prior to embarking on this trip?
Nainoa Thompson think as well as Alaskans believe that the ocean connects us and that everyone is Pacific Ocean’s inhabitants. We are part of the ocean, and we’re members of the same family.
I would like to visit Alaska I would like to record their stories I’d like them to share with us their ancestry of over 12,000 years and how they came up with all the things we cannot do in the present day, such as sustainability, and balance, etc. What did they accomplish? The reason is that the evidence suggests that their nation, Alaska, is in relation to the likes of Hawaii extremely healthy.
When I look at Alaska everything I notice is the world which isn’t like Hawaii no more. In our opinion, Alaska is a wonderful school.
Yvonne Krümrey: What’s special in Hokule’a?
Nainoa Thompson The canoe she is in doesn’t have motors, it’s a fact. It’s possible that she was the first canoe ever built — the most likely that there aren’t any blueprints anymore. A huge amount of research was conducted was conducted in the early 70s was conducted to create designs of what traveling canoes could have looked similar to.
She is powered by winds alone. We don’t have engines. However, what’s the most distinctive thing about this canoe is that it is able to carry the children from the planet. What it does is it lets us go deep into the earth, and attempt to figure out how we can get there by simply being part of the natural world.
They came across a man with the name of the name of Piailug. His name is Mau. He traveled to Hawaii and agreed to go sailing on Hokule’a with a team who he’s never seen, and take a trip that’s six times longer than the journey he’s ever been on. In a canoe that’s eight times larger, and crossing the equator, it would see southern stars that he’s not had before. And he’ll discover this island through the natural world. And he was able to do it 31 days later. After departing Maui on May 1st 1976. 31 days later, they arrived in Tahiti which was a feat of miracles. Why is Hokule’a unique? Because it transported the master Mau and found Tahiti and revolutionized his perception of the Pacific world. Navigation, voyaging and navigation are taught across the Pacific today due to the man.
I’m talking about, Yvonne We didn’t know everything. We did not know what to do with our bodies, weren’t sure what to do with our feet, weren’t sure how to look. We weren’t sure how to fall asleep, etc. We didn’t have any idea or anything. What we did for over 25 years was watch him, chat with him and be with him.
He said he was going to tell me that, and I laughed and he tells me, “You know, I would like to bring your back on my island (the Carolines in Micronesia) and half the people there will love you, but the other half don’t love you because I’m giving your navigation.” What was actually said was that “I provide you with the navigation and you’re responsible for your obligation to follow the navigation.” That obligation — in the end, very simple, is to instruct. We have discovered over time that the only way to prevent the process of extinction is to help your students become superior to you. This is how you stop it.
Yvonne Krümrey: Could I say — are you anxious to say the least?
Nainoa Thompson Nainoa Thompson: I’m always afraid. I’m not the most courageous person. What triggers me to take on an act of this type in chance … the most important question is always “Is your goal and motive greater than the danger that you’re putting others into ?”
There are two important elements that are training and the second is having knowledge of the nature of a constantly changing hot, scorching earth.
However, here’s where I am nervous. Because of the youngsters I mentioned If I asked them “Hey I’m curious, do you are interested in going, you’d like to take a sailboat from Cook Islands in New Zealand across the Intertropical area of convergence?” They’re gonna say yes, since they are convinced of two things: One, that they’ll be a part of something larger than themselves. And two, it’s safe because the leadership wouldn’t ever require them to leave without a reason if it was not safe. That’s the reason I’m worried. I’m scared because they’d go blindly, blindly walk.
So, we’ll watch it and as well as make good decision.
The Hokule’a will return in Juneau after a trip to Yakutat on the 10th of June, and then sets sail for a longer journey the 15th of June. The event will air at a live stream at 3 p.m. on KTOO 360TV starting at 3 p.m.
Thompson states there’s going to be opportunities to visit the Hokule’a when they’re in the area. Thompson says the canoe becomes stronger every time more people get their hands on it.
