Photo - Hokulea and Te Aurere - Hector Busbys famous canoe - off Diamond Head - 1995. Sam Low Photo KA HO‘INA O NGĀTI RUAWĀHIA I WAITANGI The Return of the Hōkūle‘a Tribe to Waitangi Saturday, November 15, 2014 Te Tii, Waitangi, Bay of Islands Returning to Aotearoa On Saturday, November 15, 2014 at midday, the historic wa‘a kaulua (Hawaiian double-hulled canoe), Hōkūle‘a, will enter the Bay of Islands for the first time in nearly 30 years – this time accompanied by escort waʻa Hikianalia – thus marking the triumphant return of a family of Hawaiʻi voyagers to their Tai Tokerau home. Waitangi Heritage In 1985, the Hōkūleʻa made its initial Aotearoa landfall in Waitangi. This remarkable achievement was realized through the shared vision and close kinship of renowned navigators, Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), and Hekenukumai Puhipi (Hector Busby) of Te Tai Tokerau Tārai Waka. Te Tii Marae leader Tupi Puriri staged an impressive welcome that expressed the overwhelming hospitality of the local community which is still recalled today. This historic event inspired revered elder Sir James Tau Henare to declare publicly on the marae that the extended family of Hawaiʻi voyagers must be the “sixth tribe” of Tai Tokerau (the northern-most region of the North Island). Nainoa’s father, PVS president and Kamehameha Schools trustee, the late Myron Pinky Thompson affirmed Henare’s declaration and urged the writing of new chapters in our Oceanic history to foster Pacific unity. This profound tribal courtesy was discussed at length and serious inquiries surfaced about the Hawaiian tribe’s name, its poupou (ancestral image), and the location of its marae. Hector Busby and his late wife Hilda were instrumental in nurturing this Maori-Hawaiian relationship which led to Hector naming the group, Ngāti Ruawāhia, the tribe of the star Ruawāhia: the Māori name for Hōkūle‘ a or Arcturus. In 1990, members of the PVS crew together with students and staff of Kamehameha Schools created a 9 ft. kāhili (royal feathered standard) under the guidance of master feather artists Marylou Kekuewa, her husband Paul, and daughter Paulette Kahalepuna. Named Kūkaha, the traditional emblem of rank was presented to Te Tii Marae on behalf of the Hawaiian tribe at the 150th Waitangi Day celebrations. Two years later in 1992, an ancestral post made of ‘ōhiʻa wood was crafted by Hawaiian carver William Puou of Kona and erected at Waitangi by Kamehameha Schools students and staff and key PVS leaders. The poupou was named Māuipāmamao (Māui that touches the farthest extremeties), a reflection of the far-reaching Pacific-wide influence of the Hōkūleʻa, and the Māui-like ingenuity of our seafaring forbears. Although Hōkūleʻa’s 1985 visit was its only sail to Aotearoa until this year, Kamehameha Schools students and staff have continued the cultural and educational pilgrimage to Waitangi for nearly 30 years, humbly maintaining the heritage and identity of Ngāti Ruawāhia. On November 15, 2014 over a hundred people from Hawaiʻi will represent Ngāti Ruawāhia at the arrival ceremonies in Waitangi. There is mounting excitement about this historical re-enactment nearly 30 years – an entire generation – after the initial landfall. Following ceremonial formalities, Hawaiians will make a special presentation at about 5:00 pm to remember past Māori dignitaries Sir James Henare, and Tupi Puriri, and revered Hawaiian leader Myron Pinky Thompson, and will honor and celebrate Master Navigator Hector Busby. A bridge-builder by trade, Busby himself has been a key bridge from the past to the present, and between the people of Hawaiʻi and Aotearoa. Six Months in Aotearoa Now in the fifth month of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage to promote stewardship of the world’s oceans and global sustainability, Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia will spend six months in Aotearoa visiting places of cultural significance, engaging in educational outreach, and undergoing repairs in drydock.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 15:23:21 +0000
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