Discover Three Lineages That Form an Inseverable Cord of ʻAha, Connecting Today’s Voyagers.
Like a 3-ply braid, there are three lineages that form an inseverable cord of ‘aha, connecting today’s voyagers to our rich and profound wayfinding heritage.
Austronesia
An oceanic heritage defined by shared linguistic traits and maritime technology that originated in the vicinity of Taiwan some 6,000 years ago, and marks the profound human dispersal that resulted in the peopling of the vast Pacific including Hawaiʻi.
Visit the Ka‘iwakīloumoku site to learn more about Austronesian Heritage.
Kealaikahiki
The traditional sea road connecting Hawaiʻi and the Kahiki homeland (French Polynesia) which forms a heritage corridor memorialized in migration stories of Māweke, Moʻikeha, Laʻamaikahiki, Paʻao, Pele and other seafaring chiefs dating back about 1,000 years ago.
Visit the Ka‘iwakīloumoku site to learn more about Kealaikahiki.
Papa Mau Piailug
Master of traditional navigation from Satawal who navigated Hōkūleʻa from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti in 1976, and whose student Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society continues his legacy which has spurred the revitalization of traditional navigation and voyaging throughout the contemporary Pacific.
Visit the the Ka‘iwakīloumoku site to watch a video about Papa Mau and his legacy.