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.

Through western colonization, the Hawaiian people lost their canoe culture. The voyaging canoe had slowly vanished from our environment. Along with canoes, our pride of being Hawaiian was vanishing as well. The repression of our native culture lasted through the first half of the twentieth century. We were no longer practicing our arts, religion, customs, or language. We were losing what it means to be Hawaiian.

In 1973, through the art of Herb Kane, the planning of a Polynesian Voyaging Canoe took root. In 1976, the Hokule’a took its first voyage from Hawai’i to Tahiti. Upon her arrival to Tahiti, Hokule’a and her crew was greeted by thousands of Polynesians who were overjoyed by what the Hawaiians had accomplished. We brought back the art of the navigation and way-finding. We brought back the culture of the canoe; the culture of the Hawaiians. The Hokule’a inspired communities throughout the Pacific to build their own voyaging canoes. Today there are 20+ voyaging canoes on the ocean and many in the process of being built.

In 1975, Hui O Wa’a Kaulua was formed on Maui to support the construction of a wa’a kaulua (double hull canoe). Mo’olele is a 42 foot wa’a kaulua with a traditional crab claw sail. She was built on Maui and has voyaged to the islands of Hawai’i, Lanai, Moloka’I, Kaho’olawe, and Oahu. She has been our floating classroom for several decades. We are currently constructing Mo’okiha O Piilani. She is a 62 foot wa’a kaulua and will voyage across the Pacific to Tahiti.

Our mission; “In partnership with other groups, Hui O Wa’a Kaulua is committed to developing and conducting model educational programs using voyaging to excite and challenge students and their communities to learn about, respect, and care for the natural and social environment.” It is our vision to have “a healthy, productive, safe Hawai’i and planet Earth.”

Hui O Wa’a Kaulua is currently the only organization on Maui that is in possession of a traditional double hull voyaging canoe. We are also the only crew on Maui that will be participating in the World Voyage on the Hokule’a that begins in May 2012. We are a nonprofit organization that survives through grants, fundraising, and countless volunteer hours from our members. It is our passion to continue the culture of voyaging and educating the community about this culture. On a weekly basis, we host free educational tours to schools, children’s programs, cultural programs, ocean awareness groups, and tourists. We are always available to share our knowledge.