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Sailing the Ancestral Bridges of Oceanic Knowledge
- University of Hawai'i Press
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HUAKA‘I: FINDING YOUR POSITION AND YOUR WAY HALEY KAILIEHU [3.234.143.63] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 08:03 GMT) SAILING THE ANCESTRAL BRIDGES OF OCEANIC KNOWLEDGE BONNIE KAHAPE‘A-TANNER CONNECTING WITH THE OCEAN When I was in the fourth grade, my dad got a boat so he could go fishing on the weekends. He would go out fishing with his friends, and we would go to the sandbar. We grew up out there at Ahu o Laka in Käne‘ohe Bay. Every Sunday it was the same routine: the dads would go out fishing, while the moms and the kids hung out on the sandbar. We swam and played all day. Sunburnt with sand in my bathing suit, I would go straight to sleep when we got home in the evening. As my sister and I got older, my dad would take us trolling in the deep sea outside Käne‘ohe Bay. It was scary; the boat was only seventeen feet long, and he would go in anykine weather. We would stay out for hours, until nighttime. We would beg him to take us in, but he wouldn’t go back just to drop us off. So, my sister and I would sleep in the fish bag on the deck. My dad was never a great deep-sea fisherman, but I remember him catching a few big marlins, ono, and ‘ahi. And he loved fishing. He worked hard at his job as a stevedore, worked seven days a week most times. When he had time off, all he wanted to do was be on the ocean. When I got to high school, my dad would let me take the boat out with my friends. We were less interested in fishing and more into water skiing and hanging out. Through high school, I also got into paddling and kayaking. Later, when I was going to Windward Community College (WCC), I started diving, snorkeling, and got SCUBA certified. But it was when I started fishing and laying net with some friends from WCC that I really began to see the ocean as a place for more than just fun and recreation. 174 VOYAGING “STAY TOGETHER” At one point during my studies at WCC, I thought I wanted to become a marine biologist. I worked out on Moku o Lo‘e (aka “Coconut Island”), and part of my job was to count coral cells in a microscope. It was interesting, but what I really enjoyed was working in the shop and driving the shuttle boat. I would pick up scientists on the main island and bring them out to Moku o Lo‘e for research. It was a great job, but I didn’t yet know where it would lead. I transferred to the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo to study ‘Ölelo Hawai‘i, an experience that proved to be foundational. I met some of my closest friends and became involved with the Hawaiian Leadership Development Program. The program, led by Manu Meyer, was empowering because it put us in the position to teach younger Hawaiians. Manu, and many other amazing people in Hilo, such as Pualani Kanaka‘ole-Kanahele, Gail Makuakäne, and Pila Wilson, inspired us to further our studies and continue mentoring and teaching others. Not long after I graduated from UHH in 1995, I was hanging out in Kona with friends for a weekend that came to change the course of my life. A new voyaging canoe, Makali‘i, had just completed her maiden voyage to Tahiti and was touring the Kona coast. I had always dreamed of sailing on a voyaging canoe, but never had the opportunity. My friend and I were standing on the pier, when I saw her. I was in awe. All I could think about was, “How am I gonna get myself on there?” After standing there for awhile, I asked my friend, who was kama‘äina to some of the crew, to get us onboard. We couldn’t just board but had to be given permission by the captain. “Ask the two men standing over there,” someone said. Glancing down the pier, I saw two large men: Clay Bertelmann—the captain—and crew member Chadd Paishon. Looking at them, it was like the fear of God ran through me. Their presence commanded respect. I figured I was outta luck, since I was WAY too chicken to ask. I must have been standing there for a long...