Wa'a Wednesday: Hōkūle'a goes to Washington

May 25, 2016

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

The past week has been an incredible one for Hawaiʻi’s iconic voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa. Since being welcomed by the native Piscataway peoples of that land, the Mālama Honua crew has spent the past week at the Washington Canoe Club and touring the town, interacting with community leaders and sharing the message of how important it is to take care of the island we all share, Earth.

Kamehameha Schools’ own tri-campus delegation, Kaiwikuamoʻo, has been fulfilling their kuleana of escorting the waʻa and representing the Lāhui Hawaiʻi at many ceremonies over the past week. They’ve also been able to experience one of the best classrooms, taking in the many historical sites and learning opportunities in the nation’s capital. If you haven’t already had a chance, visit their Weebly page, where students have posted reflection and you can see pictures from the many experiences they shared this week.

In addition to the middle school delegation, KS Maui fourth grader Malia Marin has taken part in a truly incredible experience. She joined the Hōkūleʻa crew last Wednesday for their historic sail up the Potomac. Marin was even able to share her unique experiences with her classmates via a Google Hangout from the waʻa in Washington D.C. It was an amazing opportunity to make a direct connection for her classmates to this incredible journey.

Here are some of the highlights over the past week:

On May 18, the iconic Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa and her crew were greeted with a welcoming ceremony at the Washington Canoe Club on Water Street. White House dignitaries and members of the Hawai'i congressional delegation were present to usher the canoe into the nation's capital.

Christy Goldfuss, director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the sighting of the Hōkūleʻa and briefed the audience gathered at the canoe club of the welcoming event.

Hōkūleʻa arrived at the destination escorted by a canoe flotilla, as the traditional sounding of the conch and ʻohana chant were conducted by the Hōkūleʻa crew. The event also featured a cultural welcome of song and dance by students and educators from Kamehameha Schools and Hālau O Aulani.

Along with Goldfuss, other White House representatives who were present included U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith.

"What you are doing here with the [Worldwide Voyage], what you are doing here with the culture is something that will live on for generations to come. So we are enormously proud of the leaders, the crew, the volunteers, and supporters of this epic journey," said Secretary Jewell.

U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono from Hawaiʻi along with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island were also present and provided remarks to welcome Hōkūleʻa and her crew to Washington, D.C.

"When I think about Hōkūleʻa and her first journey to prove what Native Hawaiians were capable of, it's an incredible story. Now we take that message and turn it into a global message of sustainability and mālama honua," remarked Senator Schatz.

"Here we are in Washington, DC, the nation's capital, with Hōkūleʻa with the message they are taking around the world. It's the voice of Hawaiʻi, and I am very proud of our crew and all of the young people who have been so involved in this voyage," said Senator Hirono.

In an intimate ceremony yesterday at the Washington Canoe Club, White House Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine Novelli visited Hawaiʻi's iconic voyaging canoe and presented a "message in a bottle" from Secretary of State John Kerry. Hōkūleʻa is set to deliver this message to the United Nations for World Oceans Day. The message addresses the Our Ocean conference hosted by Secretary of State Kerry scheduled for September of this year.

"The oceans provide the air we breathe, the food that we eat, regulate our weather, and touch everybody, even people who are not physically located next to the ocean. So all of us have to care about the health of the oceans and its future," said Under Secretary Novelli.

The event was also attended by Andrew Soles, president of the Washington Canoe Club, Nainoa Thompson, Polynesian Voyaging Society president, Hōkūleʻa crew and invited members of the diplomatic community from countries including Chile, Micronesia, New Zealand and Fiji. Soles welcomed the event's guests to the canoe club, and Thompson delivered brief remarks about Hōkūleʻa's Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

"The United States has a message, and it's coming from the highest levels. It's about understanding that the oceans count, and that we need to take actions to be responsible. Today is a demonstration of that. We take it to the United Nations as a collection with all the other obligations and declarations that essentially allows the magic of this canoe to carry a global message," said Thompson.

After the ceremony, the Hōkūleʻa crew provided tours of the canoe and discussed traditional navigational methods with the attendees.

After engaging with the community in Washington, DC, Hōkūleʻa is scheduled to sail to New York City in June for World Oceans Day on June 8.

For more information about the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Worldwide Voyage, visit hokulea.com or find the society on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+.

An incredible moment as Hōkūleʻa made its way towards the nation's captial, with the Washington Monument in the background.