2016 Year in Review
2016 Overview
In the spring of 2016 the Foundation helped support the message of Malama Honua in honor of the Hokule’a World Wide Voyage. Nainoa Thompson, Chad Baybayan, Bruce Blankenfeld and the entire Hokule’a crew have made a significant impact globally given their environmental stewardship and inspiration over the last two years as they travel the world with the message of taking care of island earth.
Archie Kalepa led tours on board the Hokule’a with OluKai reps and retailers.
On board presentations included several of the Hokule’a crew members and gave the audience a closer look at life on the canoe.
Hokule‘a Design
In association with our friends at Wooden Wave in Honolulu, a special tee-shirt design was created for the Foundation to commemorate the World Wide Voyage in 2016. Proceeds from the sale of this shirt were dedicated to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the parent non-profit organization of the Hokule‘a.
East Coast Port Stops
In April of 2016, the Ama OluKai Foundation set up our tent at several port stops on the east coast to support the voyage, including Charleston, SC, Washington, DC and New York City. OluKai sales representatives and a select group of their local retailers joined us at each port stop to meet the crew and to experience life on the canoe, while learning about celestial navigation.
Charleston, SC
In April, our first port stop visit took place in Charleston, SC where dozens of supporters, including a local Indian tribe, welcomed the Hokule’a and its crew dockside at the Maritime Center on the shores of Fort Sumter, which is rich in Civil War history.
Washington, DC
The second port stop visit took place in May 0f 2016 at the Washington Canoe Club, located on the Potomac River and the banks of Georgetown.
Founded in 1904, the Washington Canoe Club has been home to generations of paddle sports enthusiasts.
Nainoa Thompson has deep connections to the Washington Canoe Club. It is where his parents and ancestors paddled many decades ago in the mid-Nineteen Hundreds. It was a meaningful and emotional return for the leader of the Hokule’a.
Nainoa Thompson, Dan McInerny, Archie Kalepa and Jimmy Hormel
The iconic red sails of the Hokule’a makes its way up the Potomac to the Washington Canoe Club. The sound of the conch shell signifies the traditional greeting between land and water.
The Hokule’a was met by dozens of loyal fans and dignitaries, including Sally Jewell (Secretary of the Interior), Masey Hirona (Senator of Hawai’i), Brian Schatz, (Senator of Hawai’i) and Sheldon Whitehouse, (Senator of Rhode Island).
Nainoa Thompson addresses the crowd with a passionate speech about the history of the Hokule’a, its purpose and place in the Hawaiian culture, and its global connection to ocean island communities who share in the philosophy of Malama Honua.
The Ama OluKai Foundation establishes its presence at the Washington Canoe Club, while doing its part to support the message of a healthy island earth.
Pwo Navigator Chad Baybayan reflects on the historic voyage onboard the Hokule’a
New York City
In June 2016, the Foundation partnered with ‘Imiloa in New York City at the Museum of Natural History to present a historic tribute to the Hawaiian culture and its ancestral contribution of celestial navigation. This is home to one of the world’s largest Planetariums.
The ‘Imiloa team of Celeste Ha’o, Margaret Shiba and Chad Baybayan prepare for their star compass presentation to over a thousand guests at the iconic Planetarium in the Museum of Natural History.
Celeste Ha’o teaches the audience about celestial navigation while using imagery Within the Planetarium dome to a packed house at the Museum of Natural History.
While in New York City, the Hokule’a crew, along with crewmember Archie Kalepa and his family, take in a Yankee game.
