Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 6, 1 May 1980 — HOKULE'A RETURNS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOKULE'A RETURNS

by Wayne Washburn

Greeted by a blessing ōf light showers, flowers. music, danc.e and many hugs and kisses. the crew members of the Hokule'a returned from Tahiti at 1:00 p.m. on June 6. After 25 days,at sea the crew slowly made its way " through the crowd to a stage at Magic Tsland where the Royal Hawaiian Rand. Leinaala Heine Kalama's hula halau. and a musical group wilh the same name as the double-hulled eanoe. Hokule l a. performed as part of the we!coming ceremony. Eāeh voyāger was greeted by Gov. Ariyoshi and presented with a w ? ooden bow r l. In reference to the yoyage Ariyoshi stated .. it onee again demonslrates that in Hawaii the skills and the courage and the ability of llie old Hawaiian is not lost. but remains wilh the modern native,sons and daughters of Hawaii." Nalnoa Thompson. the navigator. became the first Hawaiian lo navigate by using the stars and currents in at least 200 years. The preciseness of his cnurse has been heralded by many as a modern navigational liiuinph. Mavor t Fasi said the voyage illustrated thaf : : "Thr people of Hawaiinn ancestry in Hawaii . . ean show the determination to ,qet any job ilone thal they set their hearts on. . The marked the second successful eomplelion of a round trip voyage to Tahiti. The first voyage toTahiti in 1976 was navigated by Mau Piailug. a celestial navigator fro.m Satawal iir Micronesia. The return !rip to Hawaii was cr)nfpleted using modnrn navigationai/eeiuipimm* and methods. A 1978 attempt to. reach Tahiti nnded i.n tragedy when Hokule'a swamped in the Molokai Channel. Crew member Eddie Aikau \vas lost iri an attempt to reach he!p.'The present trip was the first to use celestial navigation to and from Tahiti. Credit for the successful completion of the voyage goes to many individuals and organizations within and outside of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Many Hawaiians however. look with pride to Nalnōa Thompson as being their hero of the vovage. It was through his hard work and the invaluable teachings of Mau that successful navigation by a Haw r aiian has become a reality. Mueh work is yet to be done. Data whieh was collected on the trip now has to be interpreted. This hopefullv will shed further light on navigating by the

stars to modern navigators. Other possible uses of the information may be included in oeean survival techniques as well as voyages to other parts of Polynesia in the future. Ho'ea mai ka wa'a kaulua 'o Hokule'a Me ka pomaika'i o ke Akua;ka ho'olei me na lei nani. ke kanipila le'a ame ke aloha ua ho'okipa mai la i na po'e holomoana ma ka wa'a Hokule'a i ka lakou ho'i hou mai i ka hola 'ekahi o ke aw r nkea ma ka Ia 'eono o June. He iwakaluakumamalima la i holo mai mai Tahiti a hiki i ka ho'ea a pae ma Magic Island. Ala Moana Paka ma Honolulu nei. Aaia la. he maupo'e i anaina i ho*okipa me ka hau'oli. Alaila. ua ha'i'olelo na po'e luna aupuni. ke kia'aina Ariyoshi ame ka Mayor Fasi me ka 'olelo ho'omaika'i no ka holo moāna kaulana. 'Olelo ke kia'aina .. it onee aga'in demonstrates v that in Hawaii the skills and the courage and the

abilitv of thn old Hawaiian is nol lost b\il remains

. _ - *{ 7 „ - with the modern native sons and daughter,s of Hawaii." . ' - — No ka mea. 'o ke kanaka ho'okele wa'a. Nainoa Thompson. he kanaka mua loa mahope o ka hala o ke au kahiko e ho'okele wa'a me na hoku a kilo i ke 10 lewa me ka moanā.| Alaila. ha'i mai ka Mayor. ,l The people of Hawaiian ancestry in Hawaii . . . canshow thedeteminātionto'get any job done tha!they set their hearts on." Akeiaholomoanakaholo'elua i loa'a ka pono. !0 ka holo mua !oa ma ka M H. 1976 na Mati Pialu? he kanaka Mikonsia mai i ho'okele wa'a a i k'a ho'i ho.u mai ua ho'okele na po'e holo moana rrie na mea ho'okele hou o keia ao nei. Mamua o keia holo 'elua ua holo ka wa'a Hokule'a ma ka moana a piholo ihn la a ua loa'a ke kaumaha i ka lilo *o Eddie Aikau i ke kat. E ho'omaika'i ip a po'e o ka Polynesian Voyaging Society ame na apau ame na ahahui Hawai'i e Kako'o ia lakou. Ha'aheo no kakou i ka hana ho'okēle wa'a a Nainoa Thompson me na po'ē kanaka holo moanā o ka wa> Hokule'a. Aka, 'a'ole pau ka hana i kela manawa no ka mea nui'na mea a*o i 'ohi 'ia ai a ho'opa'a kakau ma kā pnlapala nolaila„o nana pono a Imi noi'i i ka na'auao. A malia paha e kokua ana i na po'e loea eho'okele ma keia ao nei i ka lakou hāiīā ma ka moana nui.