Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 11, 1 November 2022 — Ka Wa'a Kaulua 'o Kānehūnāmoku Traversing the Path of Our Ancestors for Twenty Years [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka Wa'a Kaulua 'o Kānehūnāmoku Traversing the Path of Our Ancestors for Twenty Years

By Kuuleianuhea Awo-Chun Kia aku ka maka i ka 'ālihilani, a 'ōili mai ka moku la Fix your eyes upon the horizon and the island will appear The 29-foot coastal sailing eanoe Kānehūnāmoku gets its name from the 12 sacred islands of Kāne. Appearing in rare circumstances, the origin of the wa'a kaulua, Kānehūnāmoku, is closely tied to the mo'olelo of Kāne's hidden islands and their propensity to appear on the horizon when you least expect it - or when you most need it. In 2001, kula hō'amana (Hawaiian-focused charter schools) were just opening. As a move toward educational sovereignty, the purpose of these schools was to address generations-long systemic oppression of Native Hawaiians in the education system. Though unique in mission, there was a eommon understanding that the path forward was through the indigenization of education in its entirety.

One school was awarded a grant to infuse wayfinding into their education program. In service of Hawaiian Homestead communities Papakōlea and Maunalaha, Hālau Kū Māna (HKM) New Century Puhlie Charter School began building their wa'a kaulua. Rather than a large voyaging eanoe, a design was chosen that would allow students to safely learn and operate the vessel in coastal waters. Days before picking up the parts, Captain Bonnie Ka-hapea-Tanner witnessed the raising of Kāne's hidden islands on the horizon in Papahānaumokuākea. That powerful hō'ailona provided the name of the wa'a that would eventually be lashed together by the students and staff of HKM. 0 Hōkūle'a ka wahine, o Mau ke kāne Nohopū lāua a loa'a mai o Makali'i, he keiki, he kiakahi Hōkūle'a is the mother, Papa Mau is thefather They eome together and Makali'i is born, a single-mast child Twenty years ago, on Nov. 19, 2002, Kānehūnāmoku launched from the shores of Hakipu'u/Kualoa in honor of her genealogy. An integral part of the 1970s Hawaiian Renaissance was the launeh of Hōkūle'a from those same shores and her successful voyage in 1976 from Hawai'i to Tahiti under the navigation of Grandmaster Navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia. From that effort was born the wa'a kaulua Makali'i, under the leadership of brothers Clay and Shorty Bertelmann and Na Kālai Wa'a on Hawai'i Island. It was through this mo'oku auhau that captains Bonnie Kahape'a-Tanner and Pualani Lineoln-Maielua took the helm of Kānehūnāmoku. 1 ke ala pono, e holo aku ai a ho'i mai me ka 'ike o ko mua e kau mai nei Goforward on aponopath, with the knowledge our ancestors leftfor us Since her launeh, Kānehūnāmoku has taught generations of haumāna. Children of her first crew are now onboard. Her earliest haumāna are captains of their own wa'a. The nonprofit organization Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy (KVA) was formed, supporting numerous programs. Not just in service of Hālau Kū Māna any-

more, preschoolers to adult learners ean eome to KVA and build their skills, knowledge, and their sense of identity and purpose. KVA's Papahana Ho'olauna program serves students of all ages in puhlie and private schools, including long-standing partnerships with schools like Mālama Honua Puhlie Charter School, Waiāhole and Ka'a'awa Elementary. The Kū i ka Mana program maintains KVA's genealogy with founding school Hālau Kū Māna. The Hālau Holomoana program exposes llth and 12th graders to maritime industry careers. A full-length documentary, Voyage into the Depths ofKanaloa, features stories from the first cohort of Hālau Holomoana. I have had the blessing of learning homKānehūnāmoku across almost all of their programs. I have been humbled to grow in my own identity and cultural practice as a haumāna, kumu, and crew member. What I have dubbed "the little wa'a that could" has enabled me to sail thousands of nautical miles, reconnecting to kupuna islands and 'ike kupuna. One evening on voyage aboard the SSV Makani Olu with HKM 9th graders, protocol began. As the sun dipped and the light faded, suddenly a ehain of islands appeared on the horizon. We had raised Kāne's hidden islands. From voyaging to Papahānaumokuākea during Ke Ala Polohiwa A Kāne, to ceremony on Kaho'olawe, taking haumāna to present at World Oceans Day at the United Nations, and sailing across Kāne'ohe Bay, I am who I am because of Kāne. My career, my journey as a makua, and my ability to contribute to our lāhui has all been impacted by the teachings of the wa'a. She saved me and countless others by showing us what we are truly eapahle of when we traverse the path of our ancestors. E mau mai ka 'ike a mau loa e The knowledge lives on in perpetuity ■ Kuuleianuhea Awo-Chun is a long-time educator in Ha-waiian-focused charter schools, a makuahine to three daughters, and a crew member of Kānehūnāmoku. She is currently the assistant school director at Mālama Honua PCS in her one hānau ofWaimānalo.

E Ala e - KanehOnamoku at Sunrise. - Photo: Kaipo Ki'aha