[dan ze'l-ik-man]

A Special Canoe – The Hōkūle’a

Posted on 11. May, 2010 by Dan Zelikman in Wanderer

“The mission of the Worldwide Voyage is to navigate toward a healthy and sustainable future for ourselves, our home – the Hawaiian Islands – and our Island Earth through voyaging and new ways of learning. Our core message is to mālama (care for) Island Earth – our natural environment, children and all humankind.”

For those of you who are not familiar with the Hōkūle’a mission, it is to sail around the world in a canoe that is free of any modern technical advancements. This means the success of the mission relies on the crew and its knowledge of navigation via the stars. No easy task to say the least.

I was fortunate enough to be a guest upon the canoe they call the Hōkūle’a, to understand better what their mission and goals are as an awareness campaign. What I learned is that the crew is made up of passionate and impressive lovers of the ocean and the history and culture of Hawaii. I learned that the Hōkūle’a is fueled by the passion of sustainability, not just for Hawaii but the entire world. “If we view our Earth as an island, our only voyaging canoe in the sea of space, it becomes apparent that we must change course to ensure a healthy, sustainable world.”

The group of people I met on the canoe carried the true spirit of what I interpret to be the spirit of Aloha. They were warm, receptive, and happy to share their knowledge and passion of the Hōkūle’a and its mission. They were truly genuine, and when you encounter that it becomes contagious.
Although warm and receptive, the crew was also very quick to put the new crew members to work. This is me trying to master the art of steering the Hōkūle’a, while at the same time pretend that my arms weren’t tired. I don’t believe I’m doing a very good job at either of the tasks.

We learned a little of what it takes to make the Hōkūle’a sail, how to navigate by the stars and what stories are associated with certain constellations based on Hawaii beliefs. I’ll be honest, some of the Hawaii stories are more entertaining than their Greek counterparts, and so are the storytellers who shared them.
Although this post is not as timely as it should have been (I really need to get better about that) the subject matter could not be more perfect for what is happening today. At the release of this post, an oil slick covering 2,500 square miles of ocean (and growing) is the nerve shattering reminder that our Earth is continually being endangered by its population. To truly be amazed at the magnitude of this spill, compare the spill to the size of your local town by using the application called the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Map, which I found on the Hawaii Blog.

The Hōkūle’a message could not be more critical of a movement, in a more critical point in time. After all, we’re all in this one canoe called Earth together.

To stay up to date with the Hōkūle’a and its powerful message, please visit their site, their Twitter page, and their Facebook page. Mahalo.

Tags: Change, Hawaii