North Shore NewsLate Saturday morning, May 12 a good crowd gathered at the Waialua Library for Part 3 of the lecture series “The Saga of the North Shore; The Voyagers.”
By far, the most popular voyager of all time is Maui-Loa. Often regarded as a trixter, sometimes as a demigod, the Hawaiian Legends speak of Maui’s
magic fishhook, with which he fished up islands. After he tossed the fishhook into the sky it become the constellation others call “Scorpio.” The stories go on to tell of Maui’s lifting the sky so as to breathe easily, slowing the sun to its present rate across the sky, stealing fire from the birds and doing battle with monsters, such as a giant eel. One localized variation
tells of him standing at Kaena Point and trying to “pull up” Kauai with that fishhook, and hooking but the small off-shore rock named “Pohaku Kauai.”
Thing is, these legends are nearly identical to those told in the Tuamoto Atolls as well as New Zealand. They are quite similar to tales told in Tonga and Samoa as well, suggesting an early origin of his story. One 19th century author went so far as to suggest an Egyptian God of Light named Moui as the original character immortalised as Moana’s sailing buddy in animated cinema.
Hawaii-loa was another voyager credited with the initial discovery of these islands. The chants speak of his navigator, Makali`i, and the many-colored and deep blue seas they traveled thru on their voyages across the Pacific. Tradition states that Hawaii-loa brought the Menehune with him to the islands he named after himself and his family.
Maweke was amongst the first chiefs, or Ali`i, who came up from Tahiti. He was the first high chief of the western half of the island of Oahu. He began the Nanaulu line of high chiefs and was the very first chief to rule over the North Shore. The Migration Period between these and the Society Islands only lasted a few generations, for reasons that are not perfectly clear.
The last Voyager of that epoch was a fellow named La`amaikahiki who had come from and eventually returned to Tahiti.
We are fortunate to be living during this time of Voyaging renaissance. The many sailings of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and sister-ships across the Pacific, and around the world, are accomplishments we can all take pride in. The art of non-instrument navigation is at the center of voyaging. Indeed, the navigator puts himself at the center of the universe and continuously orients him(or her)self to where the canoe has been and which stars will take it to the destination. The very wind and swells at sea become markers in space guiding the navigator across the open ocean. White birds can be found as far as 140 miles from land and the brown noddy is found out to 40. Islands may hold clouds and those may have a greenish tint at their base seen long before the land itself is “fished up”.
Opportunities to participate in voyaging range from volunteering with established voyaging societies or participating in our own. There is, at this time, a voyaging canoe under construction at an undisclosed location here on the North Shore. “The Waialua Voyaging Canoe Society” has built two 40’ hulls of laminated wood and the masts and steering oars have been fabricated. Now is the time to begin preparing ourselves to voyage from the North Shore in our own canoe.