Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 7, 1 July 1998 — Back from the Center of the Earth [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Back from the Center of the Earth

By Randy Quiriones and Paula Durbin loratxa korua i te aroha malamua i roto i to tatou atua. Aloha no kākou a welina i ko kākou akua. ome 30 Kamehameha students, W alumni and faculty from Hui Lama, the school's hiking, conservation and ecological science club, ^ retumed from Rapa Nui June 15 M exhausted. but elated. Their twoweek field study had exceeded all expectations, including those of the scientifīc and cultural experts traveling with the group, among them navigator Nainoa Thompson who returns to Rapa Nui to read the stars in October in preparation for the Hōkūle'a's approach and arrival set for the same month in 1999. The key to success was constant interaction between kanaka maoli and Rapa Nui's tangata ma'ohi, who easily eommunicated using, respectively, 'ōlelo Hawai'i and Rapa. Students from both nations participated in the restoration of the ahu at Hanga Pito, worked on reforestation within the Rano Kau Naīional Park, and established the means for fumre long distance learning and communication. Hui Lama alumni also met with contemporaries from the loeal eanoe club to teach pad-

dling skills and promote interest

in the time-tested Polynesian navigation techniques Thompson uses on the Hōkūle'a. Experience with Rapa Nui's spectacular statuaiy was up close and physical. Hauling beach-washed

stones, weighing 60 to 80 pounds eaeh, up a steep cliflf for construction of the ahu ramp made everyone appreciate the artistry in the moai that line Rapa Nui's rugged landscape and exist nowhere else in Polynesia. At the suggestion of Myra McShane, Hui Lama's past president, the students formed a J line up the cliflf and passed the stones to one another, greatly increasing the speed of delivery to the ahu. This I left everyone wondering I about the process used by ancient sculptors. "Often you go on a trip with questions and eome back with answers," M McShane commented, JĒ

"but in science, you eome back with fresh questions."

The consequences of deforestation, erosion and depletion of topsoil mirror those found in Hawai'i wherever hoofed animals have run wild. Compar-

isons with Kaho'olawe abound. The importance of a balanced eco-system hit home during hikes on Maunga Terevaka, (Mauna Kelewa'a or Mountain of Traveling

Canoes, ffom whieh oeean currents and approaching canoes were visible) and in Rano Kau

where Hui Lama planted native trees in manavai, rock enclosures, to shelter them from fierce winds and cold temperatures so that the fragile, young seedlings could live to restore the island's canopy. The Hui Lama scientists

had spent months brushing up on hula kahiko, 'auana and oli for performances at Rapa Nui schools and the farewell 'umu, or lū'au, where "He Hawai 'i Au" "Nā Pe 'a" and, of course, "Tewe Tewe "

turned out to be the crowd pleasers. Their shows closed with " Hawai'i Aloha," and onee the Rapa Nui audience spontaneously sang along. "Hui Lama has a way of drawing you into our culture," Erica Pimental said of this display of solidarity between hosts and guests. Polynesian kinship was also reinforced during paddling at Anakena Beach, feasts on freshly speared fish and wana, volleyball games, dances and lessons in celestial navigation. Loeal people enthusiastically greeted the Rapa Nui government's formal invitation for Nainoa Thompson to return with the Hōkūle'a and reconnect them with the wayfinding heritage that, for centuries, they had shared with other Pacific peoples. Throughout the visit, hospitality overflowed. When it was time to go, the new friends saw the Hawaiians off with leis, carvings and aloha. Addresses were exchanged along with promises to stay in touch. "This experience won't end when we leave," commented Rosie Alegado. "It's all about beginnings." ■ Editor's Note: Randy Quihones, a specialistwith OHA's Eeonomie Development Division and a past president ofHui Lama, traveled with the group to Rapa Nui. For more details, see the June Ka Wai Ola.