Ōlelo Hawai'i
To Understand The Hawaiian Canoe Is To Understand Hawai'i.
The Hawaiian canoe was shaped by the winds, waters, natural resources, and unique conditions of the Hawaiian Islands. Together with the worldview and accumulated knowledge of the people who built and sailed it, these forces produced a remarkable watercraft uniquely adapted to Hawaiʻi.
To make it easier to explore the Hawaiian Canoe we have organized our canoe information into defined but interrelated subject areas.
Click on the photo of the selected topic to begin. If you are unsure where to begin scroll to the bottom of this page for suggestions.
Come Explore The Core Values that are embeded in the canoe
Come Explore The Hawaiian World View
A society’s worldview shapes how it understands and engages with its environment.
Living within a world of islands surrounded by vast expanses of ocean, Hawaiians developed a worldview distinctly different from those formed within continental societies.
Out of a society's worldview comes its
Core Values.
Core values provides the social framework within which values such as “good” and “evil” are defined. These values, in turn, shape the way individuals interact with one another and guide daily behavior and decision-making. It has been said that the canoe shaped the Hawaiian Hawaiian worldview as much as they shaped the logs that became their canoes.
Explore the unique features of the Hawaiian Canoe
Each Pacific Island society has created a canoe unique onto itself.
Without barrier reefs, the Hawaiian Islands are exposed directly to the force of North Pacific swells. Every part of the canoe had to respond to Hawaiian waters and work with the other parts as a flexible and balanced system.
Explore both the spiritual and physical process that created the Hawaiian Canoe
Explore the plants that became the Hawaiian Canoe
Traditional Construction Process
Building a canoe was a spiritual undertaking as well as an engineering endevor.
Canoe And The Forest
The canoe begins in the forest. Being geogrphically isloated the Hawaiian Forest provided indeginious materials for canoe construction that were found no where else. Together with familiar plants brought by the early settlers these materials not only shaped, but became the Hawaiian Canoe.
Understand how the Hawaiian Canoe survived in this very challenging enviorment
Canoe And The Ocean
While the Hawaiian Canoe came from the forest, it lived on the ocean
Knowing the parts of the canoe preserves the language, demonstraits that the canoe is actually a system and helps develop an understanding as to how this system is balanced
Canoe Part Names
The character of the Hawaiian canoe can be seen in its individual features. Learning the names of these parts helps reveal how Hawaiian builders understood their form, position, and purpose.
The canoe continues to evolove
Economic And Social Change In The Evolution Of The Hawaiian Canoe
The Hawaiian canoe has continually changed, from the introduction of metal tools to the adoption of fiberglass construction. The use of the canoe has changed evolving from a tool of survival to a piece of athletic equipment. Here we look at those changes and along with political and social elements that influenced those changes.
Its more than just shape or form
On Being Hawaiian
The canoe was never simply a watercraft. It reflected how people lived, worked together, and understood their relationship with the natural world. Today, that connection is beginning to weaken. Here we explore what being Hawaiian might look like in the future.
, These articles look beyond the waʻa and explore the relationships between the Hawaiian canoe, the natural world and ideas that help us better understand Hawaiʻi.
Observations And Thoughts
Blog posts that explore the natural world that shaped life in Hawaiʻi and the development of the Hawaiian canoe. Topics range from the ocean, winds, weather, and fresh water to forests, native plants, and other features of the island environment.
The mission of He Make'e Wa'a is to support teachers, students, cultural practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the waʻa as a living expression of Hawaiian knowledge, and values.
For links to suggested Lesson Plans, Research Articles and Instructional Videos click here
To learn more about He Make'e Wa'a, Its programs and about this site click here.
If you are unsure as to where to begin may we suggest the following
Want to explore the Hawaiian worldview?
