Roots & Reason
Aloha Kakou, Chris here!
Finally up and at ‘em again, after nearly a month of being sick! I don’t know what happened, but I’m grateful to Akua for making me strong again. Big mahalo to Keili for writing the last two substacks for me :)
In continuation of the last newsletter, our day visiting Hokule’a was serendipitous. Stoked the girls got to come aboard the vessel that sparked the Hawaiian renaissance. Our star, ‘A‘ā nonetheless will always hold our pride in the lahui. It was awesome to sail her by all the other waʻa of our island.
Before we departed, I got to place one of our homecoming leis on the manu of Hōkūleʻa. It was a full circle moment, as she was the first vessel I have ever sailed on. Those cherished moments sparked my passion for pacific voyaging.
Looking back, sailing Hokule’a under the teaching of uncle Nainoa taught me many things that have echoed back during my hours at sea. The main thing is that we are defined by the way we navigate situations, yet no matter how much you study, there will always be times that depend on intuition and spiritual guidance. Those situations seem to always find you when you least expect it. On July 19th, during our sail home, a global network outage happened deleting our little tracking dot of the face of the globe. We were still going, but to the rest of the world we were gone. Im glad God gave my parents peace of mind. The canoe is always teaching you to always look up.
Shooting the gab between Moloka’i and Mokapu
A few days ago, the Eddie Aikau contest happened, and the waterman world looked to Hawaiʻi to see our braddahs and sistahs charging arguably the most iconic big wave in the world. During the opening ceremony, Uncle Nainoa gave a speech to commemorate the courage of Nolan Keaulana. If you haven’t heard the story yet, I highly suggest a listen…
Around three years ago, some political reasons separated me from the Polynesian Voyaging Society. However I will always have respect for my first sailing teacher. Uncle Nainoa’s words of encouragement have throttled me thousands of miles across the pacific and I can never be more grateful. “Your acts are bigger than you, your talking to a broken world. There needs to be more good stories, that is why we continue to cross the ocean, and we accomplish it by caring for each other”
I will leave you with some story notes from my journal…
Once upon a time, during da great hīhīwai migration, da multitude of snails wen make their way up da river. These buggaz travel slow, clinging on to da pohaku for survival. For da stream dat flowed over them was strong and a force not to be reckon wit. One aumoe, a particular hīhīwai decided, “cuz, I not going cling to dese rocks no more, I no like resist wea da current tell me for go!” Da others tought, “dis hīhīwai, kolohe!” You going get smashed on da pohaku bumbai you let go!” Da one hīhīwai said. “Cuz, its okay, I will follow da river, for dats where we came from”… and he let go.
And indeed, he was smashed on da pohaku, but with every scratch to da shell, do more da light caught, and da hīhīwai went flying down the river shimmering in da light.
And behold, da multitudes down stream saw this flying hīhīwai and proclaimed, “Akua!”
“I am no Akua” the hīhīwai replied, “the river gladly set me free, for I decided to let go”
The hīhīwai downstream did not have da courage to follow him, for as they continued their migration upstream, his story turned came legend, and every now and den… one keiki is inspired to let go. They pioneer a new way home.
To this day, the hīhīwai are seldom seen. However every now and then, on a bright blue night, you may see one glimmer flowing down da river. Akua might be telling you something.
Mahalo,
Chris