May. 4, 2016
Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth
While Hōkūleʻa is docked in Yorktown, Virginia, crewmembers on the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage wrapped up their week engaging with the oldest Indian reservations in the United States: the Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes on the east coast. The crew learned about various ways these indigenous groups are keeping their rich history and culture alive by protecting their natural resources.
"The thing we have in common is that we are both people of the land. We both respect the land, respect Mother Earth and we feel like we are a lot alike. We are natives to our lands," said Mark Fallingstar Custalow, chief of the Mattaponi Indian Reservation.
The Hōkūleʻa crew had the opportunity to visit some of the facilities on the reservations that included a couple of museums - one that housed the famous historic figure Pocahontas' necklace - and the Fish Hatchery and Marine Science Center. Crewmembers learned how the Mattaponi are raising scad, an important traditional fish, to restore stocks in the surrounding waterways.
"(The Tribes) mentioned the scad and our message of maintaining waterways. I have heard kupuna talk about the ocean not as a separator but as a highway, and Polynesian people using it not as a divider but as the highways and byways of the past. We also heard them talk about their use of the waterways and how it connected their tribes and their people to their resources," reflected Starr Johnson, Hōkūleʻa crewmember.
Crewmembers also explored the natural resources in the area, finding Mālama Honua connections along the way.
On Monday, May 2, the crew collaborated with the American Canoe Association and paddled across the Rappahannock River, a body of water that the Virginia community has rallied to restore and protect. Hōkūleʻa crewmembers also connected with the Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the water quality, living resources, and natural beauty of the Rappahannock River and its tributaries.
During the paddling trip up the river, Hōkūleʻa crew were educated by FOR on how the group worked with the rest of the community to remove dams that restricted the water flow. Their efforts resulted in a free-flowing river for over 200 miles. Crewmembers also got the opportunity to meet with the mayor of Fredericksburg, Mary Katherine Greenlaw, who shared with the crew her perspective on the importance of protecting Virginia's natural environments within urban settings.
In line with the theme of cultural preservation, May 1 also marked the 40th anniversary of Hōkūleʻa's 1976 departure from Honolua for the first deep ocean crossing from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti, ushering in a period of cultural revival that persists today.
Hōkūleʻa is scheduled to depart Yorktown, Virginia on May 8, pending weather and safety conditions
For more information about the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Worldwide Voyage, visit www.hokulea.com or find the society on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+. To see more Wa‘a Wednesday stories and much more about the Mālama Honua Voyage, go to the KS Online Mālama Honua page.