Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 6, 1 June 2017 — Around Island Earth and back again [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Around Island Earth and back again

By Lisa Asato After four years of taking its message of Mālama Honua - Caring for Island Earth - first throughout Hawai'i and then to 23 nations around the globe, the Polynesian voyaging eanoe Hōkūle'a is coming home, and the puhlie is invited to the homeeoming celebration at 0'ahu's Magic Island on Saturday, June 17. The Worldwide Voyage will eome to a festive end as Hōkūle'a and sister eanoe Hikianalia, accompanied by canoes from Hawai'i, Tahiti and Aotearoa, arrive at 8:30 a.m. at Magic Island. A roughly two-hour arrival ceremony and program starts at 10 a.m. followed by a ho'olaule'a from 1 to 5 p.m. The entire day is free and open to the puhlie. An estimated 20,000 to 35,000

people are expected to attend throughout the day, says Miki Tomita, director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society Learning Center. Themed Lei Ka'apuni Honua - A Lei Around the World - the homecoming is an opportunity for the puhlie to weleome the canoes home, but it is also a way for the crew to thank its supporters, says Tomita. The celebration is the first in a series of homecoming events planned through June 20, including short tours of Hōkūle'a, an exhibitor fair and summit, youth gathering, and inspirahonal speaker series at the Hawai'i Convention

Center. Fees apply for some events. The Saturday event at Magic Island will give people a ehanee "to eome and see the canoes and crew arrive," Tomita said. "We'U have a large screen posted so that if you can't get very close to the stage area or to the ceremony area you'll still be able to see it; there will also be livestreaming of the event and replays through our media partners." While the other canoes will anchor near the Waiklkl Yacht Club, Hōkūle'a will remain at the ehannel marker to stay as "the visual focus for the whole day," she said.

Hōkūle'a's homecoming will continue in the upcoming school year as the voyaging canoes and crew sail to all the Hawaiian Islands "so that we

ean appropriately and respectfully mahalo every community that has supported us," said Tomita, who sailed one deep sea and several coastal legs of the Worldwide Voyage, and also met the crew for its outreach program in ports including Bali, Galapagos, New York City and Cape Town, South Africa. "What we found as we went out around the world is that there are so many stories that are like ours, stories of amazing people and places and communities that are doing such great work to revitalize their culture, to care for the oeean, to help our children live and create a better world for themselves, and so any homecoming is really a celebration of all of those stories," she said, adding that the Voyaging Society encourages people to continue to share their stories on hokulea. " eom of how they mālama honua, or care for the Earth. As far as training the next generation of

voyaging leaders, whieh was a goal of the Worldwide Voyage, Tomita said, "Whether succession means a young person taking leadership positions on the eanoe or in the voyaging family, or succession means having our pwo (master) navigators now training new voyaging crew and organizations in other countries in the Paeihe, we are just really amazed at the leadership that has been developed throughout the voyaging family and throughout the world when we see young SEE HŌKŪLE'A ON PAGE 9

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GULTURE

Hōkūle'a is on the final leg of its worldwide voyage, returning June 17. Photo: Ama Johnson

HŌKŪLE'A

Continued from page 6 people stepping up, wanting to leam, and wanting to become guides for their community." Anticipation has been building for Hōkūle'a's June 17 return since it arrived in Tahiti, the last stop before the final leg home that will bring it 2,500 miles northward. The crew spent five days in Tautira before beginning the journey home on May 18. In a blog announcing the departure, the crew posted: "The people of Tautira have been the Tahitian caretakers of the canoes and crews of PVS since Hōkūle'a's maiden voyage in 1976. Upon arrival in Tautira, the crew paid homage to the family ties so important to the shared voyaging heritage of Hawai'i and Tahiti, visiting the gravesites of leaders who helped build the connection more than forty years ago. The crews were hosted at Mayor Papa Sane's home and welcomed as family in this voyaging community so closely held to Hawai'i's own." For more information on the homecoming and related events, visit www. hokulea.com/home. ■