Re: Outrigger Canoe

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: : ubject: : : Introduction (OC'99) : : Date: : : Tue, 13 Oct 1998 11:43:14 PDT : : From: : : "Kawika Sands" <kawikasands@hotmail.com> : : To: : : kale@maui.net : : : : : Howzit:) : : My name is Kawika Sands. I have a project with which I can use some : : kokua. First, some background may be helpful: : : I am a Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing enthusiast. From personal : : observations within the sport, although most customs surrounding the : : outrigger are observed, very few paddlers (if any) could tell me where : : some of the customs originated. How to pronounce certain words. Or : : much else about the outrigger other than it came from Polynesia. One of : : my first messages to an email discussion group for paddlers talked about : : the proper pronunciation of "'iako" ([eee-ahh-koh] NOT [eee-ahh-koo] : : which changes the meaning from "outrigger boom" to "a school of fish"!). : : Imagine my utter dismay when the president of an OC club (of which I was : : a part at the time), upon my kindest attempt to correct her : : pronunciation of the word, said flippantly "Well, I've heard it BOTH : : ways!" Or when I heard an icon of the sport make that very mistake in : : his own office! Or when another well-known did not know what "'oe" : : meant when I signed my first message to him with "Aloha 'oe"! : : I believe these things are symptomatic of phenomenon that in effect, : : paints over the edges of a door to a culture from which the sport at : : large likes to point to proudly when it says "These are HAWAIIAN : : outrigger canoes!" and in the same breath speaks of the concepts of : : "Aloha" and "'Ohana." : : Then one day, on December 10 1997, a man named Blake Conant (a : : Kamehameha grad' in Connecticut and the East Coast Outrigger Racing : : Association president), sent me a message entitled "A Trip Back East" : : about a New York YMCA wanting to teach their kids how to paddle in which : : he writes "...Not only do they want the kids to learn the sport but they : : want them to learn the culture and tradition that goes along with the : : sport...." Can you imagine my utter DELIGHT! Here now was an : : opportunity to shape the views of potential enthusiasts at their most : : basic beginning! : : Every morning at 7:00am I would wake these EAST COAST keiki with a mele : : ho'ala, have portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice by 8:00am, and paddle : : away from shore by 9:00am while I chanted ka holo ana. While on the : : water, they learned how to steer and paddle together occasionally up to : : ten miles at a time. On land they learned how to observe the weather, : : and play kokane and maika. As they learned how to rig the canoes we : : spoke of the ancient Hawaiians and how they made the ropes they used to : : tie their canoes together. At night, by the fire, we spoke of the : : making of the koa canoes. Of the legend of Mo'ikeha and Lu'ukia. Of : : life in ancient and modern Hawai'i. Of the monarchy. By 11:00pm they : : were tucked away into their tents for the night as I recited a pule. : : I had INCREDIBLE success with that group of campers! Sure they learned : : how to paddle, steer and race an outrigger against other outriggers! : : But what they learned, what they gained, what became a part of them and : : each other can scarcely be had by ANY number of medals or trophies or : : donned by any number of event t-shirts. : : What they learned was the true meaning of "ALOHA" and "'OHANA." I : : witnessed it when one camper became emotionally distraught and the other : : boys went to his tent one at a time to console and assure him. When it : : came time for a pass-or-fail test for four candidate steersmen who had : : battled tooth-and-nail all week amongst themselves and at the moment of : : truth, wished each other luck in turn. When on the last night of camp, : : it came time to reflect on the previous month and they spoke kindly of : : each other, openly and sincerely, to those who wept. If they could keep : : from weeping themselves. And when it was time to say our farewells with : : promises to stay in touch. Many of whom have done so with me, and : : through them, I have learned they've kept their promises. : : : : THIS is what I want to recreate in 1999! Moreover, I have outrigger : : enthusiasts willing to learn the oli, mele, and pule; the history, : : stories, and traditions to teach children all over the country at their : : OWN Outrigger Camps and take what they learned back to their individual : : outrigger clubs. The vision concludes with the champions of each area : : flying to Honolulu in time for the Aloha Festival to compete with : : eachother there. : : This is more than a mere pipe dream. It is an achievable reality with : : attainable goals. However, just as a canoe can be carried easier, : : faster, and farther with more hands on it, so we ask your kokua in : : helping us to carry this forward. : : I would like very much to have you come to the gathering on O'ahu when : : all of the East Coast, West Coast AND Hawai'i keiki are gathered and : : tell one (or two) of your stories! If you have any questions, please : : contact me by email. Mahalo! : : : : Aloha 'oe, : : kawikasands@hotmail.com : Aloha Kawika, I would be most happy to participate in this worthwhile cause. It is a very important thing that your are doing and its best to do it correctly. Let me know the details by e-mail and I would bring one of the best canoe paddlers and teachers here on Maui. His Name is Bully Kapahulehua who was born on Niihau. Aloha Uncle Charlie : : _

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