Hawaiʻi State Legislature Honors Hōkūleʻa’s 40 Year History

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature came together yesterday to honor Hōkūleʻa’s 40 years of voyaging, and the profound impact she has had on the state of Hawai‘i.

Twelve original crewmembers from Hōkūleʻa’s first voyage to and from Tahiti in 1976, including the last surviving PVS founder, Dr. Ben Finney, accepted the honors at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. The State recognition also acknowledged the University of Hawai‘i, including the Honolulu Community College and its Marine Education and Training Center, for housing and caring for for Hōkūleʻa.

1976 crewmember John Kruse shared that:

Today, you are not only honoring the 1976 crew but all those that have made sacrifices so that we can be here. From the crewmembers who have passed on (too many to name), all the way back to the Polynesians who had the courage to make the voyage from the South Pacific a thousand years before us to settle Hawaiʻi. We are here representing them.

Let this honor and proclamation serve as a catalyst to create a solid foundation for more educational opportunities for young people across the state. Because canoe is not just canoe. It is a floating classroom… where math and science go right along with learning life skills like character, respect, trust, visualization. These things we can pass on to our children along with the stories of who we are as a people, where we come from, and how we can steer Hawaiʻi to a brighter future for all.

Click here to view a copy of the certificate given by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature.

We look forward to continuing to perpetuate Hōkūleʻa’s legacy as the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage takes Hōkūleʻa and her sister canoe Hikianlia across Earth’s oceans, growing a global movement toward a more sustainable world. Please help us grow that movement and celebrate 40 years of Hōkūleʻa by sharing on our website how you mālama honua (Care for our Island Earth).

The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, together with navigators who are using the same traditional knowledge and techniques that steered their ancestors before them, is taking Hōkūleʻa and her sister canoe Hikianalia across Earth’s oceans to grow a global movement toward a more sustainable world. The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, began in Hawaiʻi in 2013 and will cover 47,000 nautical miles, 85 ports, 26 nations, including 12 of UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage sites, through June 2017. The voyage seeks to engage all of Island Earth – practicing how to live sustainably while sharing Polynesian culture, learning from the past and from each other, creating global relationships, and discovering the wonders of the precious place we call home.