Worldwide Voyage of Hōkūle‘a: Homecoming: Leg 31
Wednesday evening, May 17, 2017, Hōkūle‘a, her sister wa‘a (canoe) Hikianalia, and the escort vessel Gershon II departed Tahiti for the final leg home to Hawai‘i. The canoes will returned to a welcoming cultural celebration in Honolulu’s at Magic Island.
The people of Tautira have been the Tahitian caretakers of the canoes and crews of Polynesian Voyaging Society since Hōkūle‘a’s maiden voyage in 1976. The crew payed homage to the family ties so important to the shared voyaging heritage of Hawai‘i and Tahiti. They visited the grave sites of leaders who helped build the connection more than 40 years ago.
Hōkūle‘a crossed the equator May 26, 2017 marking an important milestone in her journey north from Tahiti back to Hawaii. Having been at sea for ten days during this final international leg of the Worldwide Voyage, Hōkūle‘a crew members performed a deeply significant ceremony to mark the crossing.
Paying close attention to the canoe’s position relative to the elements surrounding them, the crew accurately tracked their latitude to recognize this moment entering the piko o wakea, or equatorial crossing point. “To be in this space, and to be able to confirm where we are based on what we’re seeing in the sky—and to then justify it, back it up one more time with our mileage and navigating process—has been very gratifying,” said Pua Lincoln Maielua, apprentice navigator aboard Hōkūle‘a.
The crew performed a traditional awa ceremony; one by one, each person then placed pohaku, or stones, in the water, representing the crew member’s home and family. The ceremony performed yesterday fulfilled a vision by pwo (master) navigator Bruce Blankenfeld, set in motion at the beginning of the Worldwide Voyage three years ago. Now the sail master on board for this final leg of the Mālama Honua voyage, Bruce led the crew to begin this new tradition. As traditional Polynesian voyaging continues to grow and flourish and as crossings occur over years and generations, sailors will continue to drop pohaku into the ocean here in honor of this place.
As of press time, Hokule‘a and her companion canoe Hikianalia have just arrived back in Hawaiian waters. We’ll provide an update of their future plans in our September/October issue. ❖
