ABOUT
We are voyagers. Our ancestors came from across the Pacific Ocean on a double-hull voyaging canoe and settled to these islands we now call home. On a canoe, they were able to sustain themselves for weeks at a time, in the middle of the ocean. They understood that everyone on the canoe had a job to do and they understood the art of “not over stepping”; you tend to your job and did not tell others how to do theirs. Respect was the key to a peaceful, functioning environment. They took care of one another and respected each other. No pilikia (no trouble). They brought these values to their new home, the home we now call Hawai’i. He wa’a he moku, he moku he wa’a; the canoe is an island, the island is a canoe. This is a saying that we use. We take care of each other on the island the way we take care of each other on a canoe voyage. These are the values we have learned as Hawaiians. These are the values we teach others as Voyagers.
Partners
‘Ao’ao O Na Loko I’a O Maui — Revitalizing Kō‘ie‘ie Fishpond for educational, archaeological, cultural and recreational purposes
Kimokeo Foundation —Preserving and perpetuating Hawai‘i’s unique culture, its language, people and environment for the benefit of Maui’s people and generations yet to come
HISTORY
Kawika Kapahulehua was the kapena (captain) of Hokule’a, Hawai’i ‘s first traditional transoceanic Polynesian Voyaging Canoe in over 500 years. He was an avid sailor & waterman, a scholar, and author for Hawaiian language books. He sailed Hokule’a on her maiden voyage from Hawai’i to Tahiti in 1976. His nephew Kimokeo Kapahulehua, also an avid waterman, had a passion for the canoes and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture. Through the canoes we find our connection with our ancestors and their way of life. Kawika instructed his nephew to connect all the Hawaiian Islands from Hawai’i Island to Kure. In doing so, we pay respect to our ancestors and connect with them. Kimokeo started the journey in 2003. Six year later, he had paddled to every island in the Hawai’ian Island Chain, over 2000 miles. We continue the voyaging traditions to perpetuate the Hawaiian Culture and teach the way of life that we learn from the canoes.
Mission
To promote sustainability, environmental health and respect for Mother Earth and humankind through the preservation, education and perpetuation of the Hawaiian culture through protocol, voyaging and the way of life on the canoe.
vision
To create, perpetuate, educate and inspire a sustainable lifestyle rooted in Hawaiian cultural values.