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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
 Posted - 07/30/2002 : 10:51:03 AM
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Aloha kaua,
Please join us for a slide show and lecture by Hawaiian navigator and educator, Shantell Ching. A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Shantell Ching has been directly involved with the Hokule`a and Hawai'i Loa voyaging canoes over the past decade. Shantell has fostered a deep commitment for traditional navigation as an educating force amongst the young people of Hawai`i.
"What's so important about Shantell is that she's an educator and strategically she's going to impact young people. It's about the investment we're making in our children." - Nainoa Thompson, Hokule`a Captain & Navigator.
DATE: Sunday, 8/4/02 (Date subject to change)
TIME: 2-4pm
SITE: American Indian Community House, 404 Lafayette St., 8th Flr.
Call to RSVP: 212-966-3378
A hui hou,
Nersa Miller
Secretary, HCF
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David
Akahai
92 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2002 : 4:03:29 PM
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This lecture should be exciting. I'm a recreational sailor, recently sailing from Virginia to Maine, and soon to complete the last leg of the voyage to Nova Scotia. We have the advantage of safety equipment, navigate by gps, sail in fog with rador, and are in constant communication to shore. The Hokulea ... these brave sailors who navigate by using the heavens, knowledge of waves, wind, behavior of birds, and their senses to accomplish remarkable feats is awe inspiring. Imagine hopping on board a craft of ancient polynesian design with nothing but some food, water, fish hooks and your wits and sailing from 3000 miles from Tahiti to Hawaii. What a complex culture, with courage and unthinkable skill, and values closely in tune with creation.
The day in 1979 when we lost Eddie Aikau, the bravest of Hawaiian watermen, when the Hokulea was swamped by a giant wave in the Moloka'i channel, shows the danger present in voyaging an ancient design along legendary routes. Tell you, the Hokulea represents something very important to today's world. In the "progress" of modern life, we have much to relearn from the past.
Slack key is a window into more recent Hawaiian culture. It can be a starting point to learn of a people who are a minority on their islands, with deep traditions fighting against being lost. This event in an important one, and should be very much in keeping with the mission of this site.
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2002 : 4:24:16 PM
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Well stated David. Shantell is, as far as I know, the first and only female navigator of the Hokule`a to date. Without the aid of modern technology, the navigator carries immense responsibility for the safety of the canoe and other crew members. Also, the navigator traditionally does not sleep for the duration of the voyage. Undoubtedly, Shantell has a fascinating story to tell.
Andy |
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