BYUH canoe prepared to receive life
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau
LA'IE — Iosepa, the double-hull canoe built by the La'ie community, will be launched next week but not before protocol is recognized and its "older brother" is given life.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Hawaiian studies program at Brigham Young University-Hawai'i will launch its 57-foot double-hull canoe at a ceremony beginning at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 3 at Hukilau Beach.
Master carver Tuione Pulotu works on the Iosepa, the double-hull canoe built by the La‘ie community. The launch is set for Nov. 3 at Hukilau Beach.
The launching will culminate three days of tribute and festivities surrounding the vessel, including the launching of the Camakau, a Fijian canoe given to the Polynesian Cultural Center 15 years ago.
The single-hull canoe has been used in the park but never in the ocean, said William Wallace III, director of the Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian Language and Cultural Studies at BYUH.
"To keep the chronology and respect for the Fijians, we will put the Camakau (pronounced Tamakau) in the water first because it is the older brother of the canoe we're building," Wallace said, adding that he didn't want the Fijians to think BYUH didn't know the proper protocol. "We'll launch the canoe in order to give it its ha, its breath of life."
The double-hull canoe has become more than just a symbol of Hawaiian heritage. It is also a symbol of a community made up of people worldwide who have come together for nine months to share their skills, knowledge and food while building a floating classroom for the university.
Once the canoe is launched, it will be used in courses involving the ancient traditions of sailing, navigation by the stars and other aspects of Hawaiian culture.
Eric Shumway, president of BYUH, said the canoe has been an awesome project.
"Nothing in my 35 years at this campus has generated more good will and feeling between BYUH ... and the Hawaiian community as this project," Shumway said.
The Iosepa, carved from dakua wood imported from Fiji, will be open to the public for viewing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2. Its master carvers, Tuione Pulotu, a Tongan, and Kawika Eskaran, a Hawaiian, will also be there.
The vessel, whose name is Hawaiian for Joseph, was named for the various Josephs who are prominent in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Joseph F. Smith, who served three missions in La'ie and was later president of the church, Wallace said.
The hulls of the canoe also have Hawaiian names. The male hull is called Anianiku and the female hull is Kekaipahola.
The pre-launch ceremony will include pageantry, music by choirs from Hawai'i, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti and New Zealand. The launch should take place at noon, and a luau will follow.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
