[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6122]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY AND THE MALAMA HONUA 
                            WORLDWIDE VOYAGE

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, Hawaii's traditional Polynesian voyaging 
canoe Hokulea and her crew are in the Washington, DC, area this week as 
part of its Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage. I would like to congratulate 
and honor the Polynesian Voyaging Society for its work in bringing 
about this significant endeavor to raise awareness of global 
sustainability while sharing traditional Polynesian navigation 
practices and creating global relationships through cultural exchanges. 
Hokulea will voyage over 60,000 miles to 100 ports in 27 nations, 
including 12 Marine World Heritage sites identified by the United 
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
  Established in 1973, the Polynesian Voyaging Society developed a new 
generation of Polynesian navigators, perpetuating the teachings of 
Master Navigator Mau Piailug from the island of Satawal in the 
Federated States of Micronesia. The Polynesian Voyaging Society is 
largely credited with revolutionizing the perception of Polynesian-
style voyaging as a sophisticated form of sailing and navigation.
  In 1976, the Polynesian Voyaging Society completed construction of 
the double-hulled voyaging canoe named Hokulea, which translates to 
``star of gladness.'' Hokulea is the first traditional voyaging canoe 
to be built in Hawaii in over 600 years and has since served as a 
cultural ambassador of Hawaii to the world.
  Crew members observed patterns in the stars, sun, moon, wind, and 
ocean swells to guide Hokulea to Tahiti on her inaugural journey. The 
voyage demonstrated that Polynesian wayfinding methods could 
successfully be used to travel on long-distance journeys and revived a 
navigational method many assumed was lost.
  In 2013, Hokulea and her sister canoe Hikianalia embarked on a 
journey around the State of Hawaii before commencing a 36-month 
worldwide voyage named Malama Honua, which means ``to care for our 
Earth.''
  Since the journey began, Hokulea has visited 24 islands and six 
countries across Polynesia, Mauritius, South Africa, Brazil, and the 
East Coast of the United States, visiting States Florida, South 
Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Washington, DC.
  I extend my deepest congratulations to the Polynesian Voyaging 
Society and the crews of Hokulea and Hikianalia and wish them smooth 
sailing as they continue the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage.
  I look forward to hearing of their many adventures upon completion of 
the voyage, and I encourage all of my colleagues to visit Hokulea while 
she is docked in Washington, DC.

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