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Ko'olau Loa District, Oahu, Hawaii, 1996: The conches sound and more
than 1,700 faces turn seaward. It's an exceptionally large turnout for this
rural district on Hawaii's island of Oahu. They have gathered here at Kahana
Bay this February morning of 1997 to welcome the arrival of two voyaging canoes:
the Hokule'a and E'ala. The Hokule'a, built 22 years ago to test the hypothesis
that Hawaiians had sailed to these islands without navigational instruments,
proved the theory correct in 1976 when it sailed to Tahiti and back. More than
that, it inspired many Hawaiians to turn toward their cultural roots and take
pride in their past.
Now the Hokule'a is on the second leg of a statewide voyage to demonstrate
Hawaiian navigation and to serve as a focal point for community activism. Along
with their skilled crews, both canoes sail with community representatives and
local high school students aboard. And during the visit, the public is invited
to learn about voyaging education at the beach, take canoe tours, or stargaze
with the Polynesian Voyaging Society staff.
Students from area schools visit the canoes to learn about sailing and navigation,
and about the ancient values that anteceded those skills - values like 'ohana (extended
family), malama (caring) lokahi (harmony, unity), and laulima (many
hands working together to accomplish a common goal).
For several months preceding the visit, the community of Ko'olau Loa on Oahu's
north shore, which helped sponsor the event, worked together in a massive effort
to make the celebration a success. Up and down the coast, hundreds of volunteers
prepared the welcome of the Hokule'a with traditional Hawaiian protocol that
included chanters, dancers, musicians, and a luau for 1,700 people.
All this spirited activity came from a community that only a year before had
questioned their ability to cooperate, to inspire any real cohesion. What changed
during that year can be found in the story of a people who reached into the
past to rebuild their future. The celebration for the canoes is only one expression
of a wider effort to restore community values in Ko'olau Loa, an effort that
grew out of a future search conference held in February 1996.
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