Crew Profile: Keoni Kuoha
PVS Member Since
HOMETOWN:
Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
PRIMARY DUTY:
Cultural Protocol Specialist
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:
Education Specialist; Watch Captain
WORLDWIDE VOYAGE LEGS SAILED:
2017 Tahiti, Leg 9: Auckland
From Waimānalo, Keoni first sailed aboard Hōkūleʻa from Kahoʻolawe to Oʻahu as a high school senior. He has also served as crew member on multiple voyages through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Micronesia. He currently serves as the executive director of Papahana Kuaola, a mālama ʻāina learning organization based in Heʻeia, Oʻahu.
Voyaging brings Keoni inner calm and a greater sense of rythym and connection with the world around him. It enables him to see in new ways and move in parallel to his kūpuna. In the larger scheme of things, Keoni sees Hōkūleʻa as a vehicle for positive change, a space for inspiration, and a powerful symbol of the Hawaiian nation. He sees the potential for the Worldwide Voyage to change global mentalities towards our shared kuleana (responsibility), for Island Earth, to improve our relationships with each other, and to clarify our commitment to the well-being of the world around us.
While out to sea, Keoni misses his loved ones and the comforts of home: a bed, a warm, freshwater shower, and a toilet. A day or two before making landfall, he tends to get ʻono for a big, juicy hamburger and crisp fries. While back on land he misses the constant rock and sway of the ocean.
Voyaging brings Keoni inner calm and a greater sense of rythym and connection with the world around him. It enables him to see in new ways and move in parallel to his kūpuna. In the larger scheme of things, Keoni sees Hōkūleʻa as a vehicle for positive change, a space for inspiration, and a powerful symbol of the Hawaiian nation. He sees the potential for the Worldwide Voyage to change global mentalities towards our shared kuleana (responsibility), for Island Earth, to improve our relationships with each other, and to clarify our commitment to the well-being of the world around us.
While out to sea, Keoni misses his loved ones and the comforts of home: a bed, a warm, freshwater shower, and a toilet. A day or two before making landfall, he tends to get ʻono for a big, juicy hamburger and crisp fries. While back on land he misses the constant rock and sway of the ocean.
