Hawaiki Rising: Hōkūle‘a, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance
It’s one of the most amazing stories of navigation and maritime exploration.
And it’s never been properly told. Until now….
Ask today about the settlement of Polynesia and you will be told a false tale of drifters at the mercy of wind and wave – Kon Tiki. Thor Heyerdahl believed Polynesians floated into the Pacific from South America on crude rafts, pushed by prevailing winds and currents.
But the real story is far more interesting – they sailed against these winds and currents from island Southeast Asia in sophisticated sailing craft. In vessels like Hokule’a – a replica of a double-hull Polynesian voyaging canoe. In the last 40 years, Hokule’a has sailed 140,000 miles - from Hawaii to Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa, Easter Island - following ancient voyaging routes. Her crew has discovered the secrets of early navigators that allowed them to find land across thousands of miles of trackless ocean.
And by sailing the sea paths of their ancestors, Hawaiians have rediscovered pride in their voyaging heritage – and sparked a renaissance of their culture.
Hawaiki Rising tells this story in the words of the men and women who voyaged aboard Hokule’a. They speak of growing up at a time when their Hawaiian culture was in danger of extinction and their future in their own land was uncertain.
We join Nainoa Thompson, a young Hawaiian, as he looks skyward to discover ancient star patterns that once guided his ancestors on their epic voyages.
We meet Mau Piailug, a traditional navigator from the tiny Micronesian island of Satawal, as he reaches across barriers of culture and distance to give Nainoa his secret wayfinding knowledge.
And we are aboard Hokule’a as Nainoa and his crew make a 2400-mile ocean voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti – the first Hawaiian sailors to navigate the Pacific without charts or instruments in a thousand years.
When crewmember Sam Ka’ai carved the ki’i – the sculpted figure - that adorns Hokule’a, a dream came to him of a blind man reaching to the heavens. “This is an effigy of how we are after so many years of oppression,” Sam tells us. “Blind to our past, we reach up to grasp heaven one more time. He is reaching above himself, beyond himself, to the story that has not changed, the forever and ever story. He is showing that we are taking hold of the old story once again.”
Hawaiki Rising is the saga of an astonishing revival of indigenous culture by voyagers who sailed deep into their ancestral past.
Hawaiki Rising - has won the 2014 Samuel M. Kamakau award for best book published in Hawaii, two Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards, a Nautilus Silver Award, a Ben Franklin award, an IPPY award and is a finalist for Foreward Review's Indiefab award in two categories (History and Regional Nonfiction) and the Next Generation Indie Book award in regional nonfiction.
Also the winner of 61 five star reviews (out of a possible five) by Amazon readers.
“…anyone who wants to be moved, inspired and kept on the edge of their seat living a great adventure - this is the book. With grace and skill, one of the truly great human adventures has been preserved forever.” Mindi Reed
“The pacing is great. A good read. Fast, interesting... I adore the portraits of the various players, including minor ones.” Author Christina Thompson.
“...inspires us to hope for intelligent and peaceful resolutions to challenges that face each of us individually and all of us collectively. It's a book that resonates far beyond Hawaii and the Pacific.” Lorna Strand, Aiea, Hawaii
“…a story of finding one's self, one's conviction, one's cultural destiny.” Mike and Diana M. Shaw
“It was the most moving book I have read. When it ended I wept. Bless you for writing it with such understanding and bless those who continue to voyage.” Dixie Brown
Reviews (173)
big ocean going catamarans leaping the waves like dolphins, the sun shining through their sails
Hawaiki Rising 2016.11.14 The trailers for Disney's Moana show a gorgeous age long past; sunkissed people and clear turquoise oceans, big ocean going catamarans leaping the waves like dolphins, the sun shining through their sails, navigators knowing the way by the stars, the swells, and the flight of birds. The whole thing is backed up with the Polynesian drums, language and song of a group called Te Vaka, which means, simply, the canoe. The canoe, the big double hulled wa'a, waka or vaka (depending which island you hail from) is what defines Polynesia. It is the icon of the skills they honed with what we westerners like to refer to as "stone age" technology... technology that allowed them to settle flyspecks of land across the vast Pacific while the rest of us were terrified to sail out of sight of land (except maybe the Vikings, but that's another tale). Technology that fascinated Captain Cook in his huge clunky tall ship as they sailed rings around him. As a kid, I read Kon Tiki, in which a descendant of Vikings, Thor Heyerdahl, set out from South America to show how the Polynesians might have drifted with the winds and currents to islands... It was a ripping good yarn, but it was bogus. Thor's boat was a raft with a square sail, it could neither be steered nor navigated. It finally crashed on an atoll. They survived and the whole thing went down in popular culture as "case solved". There were plenty of folks who knew that's not how the Polynesians did it. There was another story. Hawaiki Rising is that story. A ripping good true life sea yarn about a diverse bunch of people who come together in an ohana wa'a, a family of the canoe, in Hawaii. The family is not without its strife, its dissensions. But there is something about a boat... There is a song, blue boat home, in which our little blue planet is compared to a ship sailing through space. My own 18 foot kayak is blue, as are some of my favorite larger boats. On a boat, you are keenly aware of the environment, the shape of wind and waves and the movements of wildlife. Your life may depend on them, on knowing that that towering cloud over the Chesapeake Bay is nothing to worry about, because the wind is blowing it away from you. Or that you all need to row like hell right now to get to the dock before Thor starts slaying frost giants. (true story, Viking longship, middle aged and minimal crew). The other thing you learn on a boat is ohana wa'a. If you do not work together, somebody's gonna die. Maybe all of you. You become very aware of your interdependence. Hawaiki Rising tells the story of Hokule'a, and her ohana wa'a, the people who dreamed her, built her, sailed her and navigated her in the old way that had nearly been lost. She became an icon of Polynesian culture, a culture that was adrift, that had suffered centuries of oppression and lost much of itself. Everywhere she landed people came out and cheered, sang, or stood watch silently, absorbing the wonder of this vision from the past. This is the story of her beginning years. Over forty years ago she set sail. Sailors and navigators have learned on her, children have touched the past and the future on her. People of all cultures have touched something... something that connects us to our own blue boat home. This summer, our wakes crossed paths. I have paddled the shallows at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, pointed my kayak's bow toward the colorful layers of sand in the bluffs at Turkey Point, followed the glow of a small lighthouse back home. I drifted among the lotus on the Sassafras River, watched damselfly nymphs shapeshift into damselflies as they emerged from the shallows. Saw fins surface at the end of my paddle blade in the waters off Eastern Neck Island (not sharks, as I thought, but cownosed rays). I rowed, with others, a Viking longship on the mighty Potomac, and chased another one down to Blackistone Island. (and got lost, my navigation skills being far less than the skills of those in this book). I sailed under the Bay Bridge on a reproduction of a 1769 tall ship, Sultana, photographing her 18th century rigging against the modern rigging of the bridge. For a moment, as a guest, I steered the 1812 privateer Pride of Baltimore II in the middle of that bay. I photographed, amazed, the weirdness on deck as she heeled under a ripping good wind. Something wa'as never do. Hokule'a traveled those waters this summer, waters I know a little of. I, sadly, did not catch her at any of her few stops. I did become aware of the legend she is. Hawaiki Rising is a ripping good yarn of the sea, but it is more than that, it is about The Hero Journey we all take through life. We see her journey through the eyes of the people who built and sailed her, fascinating people you want to go hang out with. The main eyes we see this tale through are those of Nainoa Thompson, a young Hawaiian who becomes fascinated by the ship and the ancient navigation skills that no Hawaiian remembers. Skills still preserved on the tiny island of Satawal, by the last navigator, Mau Piailug. Today, Nainoa is the president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Hokule'a is on the last leg of her worldwide voyage, "The Hawaiian name for this voyage, Mālama Honua, means “to care for our Earth.” Living on an island chain teaches us that our natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together." and this... "On March 18, 2007, Mau Piailug inducted five Hawaiians and eleven Micronesians into Pwo, the ninth of fifteen degrees in the Weriyeng School of Navigation of Micronesia. The five Hawaiians were given the honor and responsibility of carrying on Mau’s teachings. Pwo, as explained to Nainoa Thompson is light, love, kindness and compassion. If there are conflicts, the navigator must resolve them; if there is sickness, the navigator’s responsibility is to heal; if there is damage, the navigator must repair it. His kuleana is to sail and bring back gifts to his home island." This is the story of the wa'a, the people, and the resurgence of ancient skills... and what they mean to us, now, in our industrial age. An age where we are floundering, foundering under the very real threat of climate change. Where navigator Mau's islands are vanishing under the rising sea, as are Tangier and Smith islands in our own Chesapeake Bay, islands Hokule'a visited this summer. This is not a story about the past, but about a perspective, a point of view. A way to see the world that will help us navigate into the future. I hope that when Moana hits the big screen, kids and adults everywhere will learn not only about a fantastic period of human history, of fabulous courage and skills and exploration, but that they will explore farther than toys and coloring books... that they will read the books, watch the documentaries, and learn something about the ohana wa'a and how this one small boat connects us to our moana, our ocean world.
If you like learning about other cultures and how they do things, this is for you.
Fascinating! I learned how traditional maritime navigation works (sailing by the stars, the current and the world of nature), and I learned about alternatives to our “scientific” method. Today many people still know “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailor take warning.” But Nainoa knows much more than that: he knows the different shades of red and what each of them means, the different types of clouds that can reflect the reds, etc. I enjoy reading about other ways of life (science fiction, good historical fiction, etc.) and not only did I learn, this book was also a pleasure to read. It’s not for everyone (“There’s no sex!”), but I loved it! Definitely a keeper.
Extraordinary Story that touches my soul
Extraordinary Story. I am still reading this book. I read it in pieces because it's so extraordinary. I absorb it. It reminds me to steer by the many signs I get everyday and tells the phenomenal story of the Hokule'a but more importantly the deep, encompassing, soul searching story of navigator Nainoa Thompson. I am deeply touched by this book. I am an islander from New Zealand, but Hawai'i is my American home state. I'm also a writer and wanted to include Hokule'a coming home after her round the world voyage. And what I thought would be an interesting story and give me some good facts about the Hokule'a and her Nainoa has turned into a voyage of discovery for myself. It is so much more than a story. It's like a modern day bible for every islander who is always called home to the sea. Who feels like they're literally a fish out of water when they're not near it. Who feel like they can breathe when they're close to the ocean, in it, on it. The story of Nainoa Thompson in this is riveting. What an unbelievable man. Hearing his feelings, thoughts, ups and downs on such a real, and vulnerable level has touched me deeply. It feels like such a degree of honesty we see so rarely and one I personally value immensely. Be prepared to be taken on a journey... This book is one I will own in Hardback and always go back to refer to when I need a direction. It will be like Polaris the North Star. Mahalo nui loa. Aloha Meg Amor
Humbling Tale for a cruising yachtsman
Renaissance is not too strong a word to describe how a large catamaran canoe in the Polynesian style brought together a dedicated team of Hawaiians of mixed races. First they built her Then they learned how to sail her around Hawaii. Finally they were taught the secrets of navigating her on a long distance voyage 2400 miles south to Tahiti by a visiting navigator from the Solomon Islands. Mau, as he is called , early on gives up on the crew as too modern and too selfish to blend together into a functioning crew. But Nainoa Thompson perseveres in recreating the means to read the stars and the sea in the ancient way. Mau ‘s fears that his art will be lost with him when he dies are assuaged by Nainoa’s study and mastery of the old skills. His best lesson to the Hawaiians is to build confidence in their original culture through successful completion of two voyages to Tahiti. The. Hawaiians don’t have to apologize any more.
A truly outstanding book for all who are interested in Polynesian prehistory
This is an extremely well written and objective book chronicling the long and devoted efforts of the members of the Polynesian Voyaging Society(PVS) of Hawai'i to construct and sail the traditional Hokule'a canoe using traditional methods. The book is a monument to all members of the society, but especially to the Micronesian, Mau Piailug, who patiently taught the sacred navigation techniques of his culture to the PVS personnel , and to Nainoa Thompson who studied under Mau and who invested enormous energy translating these techniques into modern astronomical terms. It's also a monument to Eddie Aikau, who lost his life bravely trying to save his shipmates after a near disaster on the high seas.The book is based on first hand accounts, excerpts from logs and diaries of participants, and on the author's own personal experiences aboard. These sources are skillfully combined by the author in such a way that the reader feels he is actually present. Low does not shy away from the many interpersonal problems that developed in the course of this project, but he provides very balanced descriptions of all relations aboard, The book dispels, once and for all , the "theory" that the islands of Polynesia were discovered by accident: the discoveries and settlements were largely the results of systematic explorations. This book is a masterpiece: one hopes that Sam Low will continue to write further on the subject, recounting his own personal experiences! It is most highly recommended for all students of Pacific prehistory as well as for Hawaiian cultural course from the high school level and above.
Fascinating, informative and beautifully written.
This is a beautifully written and fascinating account of the development and voyages of Hokule’a, an ocean-going Polynesian canoe, based on vessels used to populate the islands of the Pacific hundreds of years ago and used for travel between the islands, which are separated by thousands of miles. Of particular interest is the navigation techniques used for this astonishing feat and the author covers this very well. Highly recommended.
Hawaiian voyage from the inside
If you're interested in ancient Polynesian flagging this is the book for you! It lets you inside the minds of those who revived the original navigation techniques. I visited the Hokulea many times living in Hawaii and often wondered about those who sailed her. I also saw Nainoa Thompson at many occasions and heard him speak. This book have me even more insight into what a tremendous thing they accomplished. I loved the quiet way this book related a story in true Hawaiian fashion.
A Culture Find Its Way on the Sea
"There is an ancient murmur," he told them. "It is the voice on the wind that some hear and some don't. It we heed this murmur we will make it a living song. The murmur is a distant memory, a feeling that Hawaiians have that we are all one." Hawaiki Rising brings that "distant murmur" to life, both in the words of those who dream, create, and sail on the Hokulea, and in the words of the author himself. For although this true life tale is not about the author, Sam Low, it is of him, of his heart, and of his own deep love and knowledge of Hawaii, its people and its culture. The author is closely related to Nainoa Thompson, the modest young man whose passion and focus give him the ability to make his own the knowledge of the constellations and the ancient navigating techniques of his ancestors. We are given the opportunity to watch Nainoa overcome his fear of both the very real dangers of the sea and of his own possibility of failure, and we see him emerge as the extraordinary navigator who guides the Hokulea across the mmense and trackless Pacific to Tahiti without the help of any modern navigational aids - not even a compass. As Nainoa was struggling with the decision to undertake this voyage, his father, Pinky Thompson, reminded him "that this voyage is not for you, it is for your culture. You carry the pride and dignity of all native Hawaiians on your canoe. This voyage is for your children and all the children of Hawaii." Not a responsibility to be undertaken lightly. But the book is not "only" about a young man and the others who are part of the Hokulea story. It is also a romping good yarn of adventure on the world's biggest ocean. It is a story of human beings striving to accomplish something great, something significant, and getting tripped up in their own strengths and weaknesses. It is pushed along by passions and by winds and waves, and had me holding my breath any number of times: I knew they would get through it (with one tragic exception), but the conditions were so fearsome that I almost felt seasick with some of the crew. If you have any interest in the sea, in sailing, in the stars, in the people of Hawaii, in the challenges of ancient cultures claiming their place in today's world, you will love Sam Low's book about a "voyage [that] was not just a way to right past wrongs - it was a journey from anger and fear toward love and courage. Not just for his people - but for all people."
Mahalo nui loa to Sam Low!
Mahalo nui loa to Sam Low for capturing the stories of Nainoa and Mau, of the birth of Hokule'a, and of the people who sailed on her, and for sharing them with us in _Hawaiki Rising_! This is a captivating, inspiring book related by an excellent writer who tells the story in the voices of the people who were there...including himself! I so admire the people who had the vision to create Hokule'a and those who have navigated and sailed her, and this book brings them to life for the reader in a very personal way. The spirit of the Hawaiian Renaissance is alive and well in this book! Do yourself a favor and read it, if you have not already done so! I may buy another copy, as I keep loaning mine out to friends! I suggest that you also search for Sam Low's webpage, where you will find more stories and videos. Especially inspiring is the tale of the donation of two large spruce logs by the Tlingit people of Alaska for building Hawai'iloa...and Nainoa's sensitivity to the thought of cutting down those wonderful trees! In addition, I recommend Sam Low's video, "The Navigators" to further bring the story of the Polynesian voyagers to life!
Thrilling and poignant true story of Hawaiians rediscovering their past
Hokule’a Sailing to Tahiti using only natural signs_ stars, ocean currents, birds, wave formations as their ancestors did in the past is exciting and well written. No GPS, no sextant, no sonar or radar- just studying the heavens primarily- and all the weather frustrations, the doldrums etc is mesmerizing. I actually saw the Hokule'a in dry dock in Honolulu and that inspired me to read this. READ IT!!
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