Posted on: Tuesday, October 2, 2001

Festival fosters awareness of canoe culture, art

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer

A dream to share Hawaiian canoe culture with tourists and eventually include canoe racing as an Olympic sport gave birth to the Hawai'i Canoe Festival, which is under way this week at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The festival, which includes exhibitions, canoe carving and entertainment, was planned around the two Moloka'i Hoe events, the last of which is Sunday. Other events on Sunday include a free all-day concert, the launching of a new canoe at 10 a.m. and the conclusion of the men's outrigger canoe race off Hilton Hawaiian Village.

"This is a pilot program, and we're trying to create an awareness of the culture and the art of canoe carving, paying respect to what the canoe has given, besides the sport," said Scotty Reis-Moniz, head coach for the Waimanalo Canoe Club and a member of the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board.

As part of the festival, a team of master carvers from Tahiti and New Zealand are working on a canoe between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day. They expect to be finished by Thursday.

Reis-Moniz has wanted to put on a festival for several years and was willing to proceed despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The focus remains the same: to give tourists and students a broader view of the canoe and its historical contribution to society, he said.

At the same time, Reis-Moniz said Heineken-Coors Light, the sponsors of the event, wanted to remember the victims of the attacks. Some of the proceeds from the festival will go to the September 11th Fund.

"The primary goals of the Hawai'i Canoe Festival are to inspire those who are interested in sharing the Hawaiian culture and contributing to special programs that support the education of our youth," he said.

By building awareness of the historical contributions the canoe has made to society, he said he hopes canoe racing will become part of the Olympic games.