Students in the Hawaiian Studies program spent two weeks on the Big Island of Hawai'i working to repair the voyaging canoe Makali'i, and taking daily excursions around the island. Plans to sail aboard the Makali'i changed after the double-hulled canoe sustained termite damage on one of the I'ako (wooden rod that connect the hulls of the canoe).
"We felt bad we couldn't sail the canoe," said Spencer Kekauoha, Junior in Hawaiian Studies from Laie, "but we also experienced things that we never would have done because of it. A lot of good came from [this opportunity]."
The BYU–Hawaii students spent a week helping to repair the Makali'i, scraping off old paint from the bottom, lashing pieces of the canoe together and preparing new pieces of wood to replace the damaged pieces.
"The whole trip was the most spiritual experience I've had in my whole life," said Kekauoha. "It was also good preparation for my mission. The [Hawaiian Studies 390r] class was a real-life religion class."
Under the direction of Hawaiian Studies professors Kamoa'e Walk and Kawika Eskaran, students took daily excursions to Hawaii's western coast, which helped to break up the workload. One place visited was Parker Ranch, or Pua Nui, 2,500 acres of an ancient cultivation field. The land is located in a climate zone where no irrigation is needed because of the annual rainfall. In times past, varieties of Kalo (Taro) and Uala (Sweet Potatoe) were grown there. Students saw firsthand this rediscovering of ancient farming technology.
"My favorite part was seeing the 1,000-year-old forest," said Kekauoha. One of the day trips included a visit to a dry forest. The forest was home to the Lama tree, a rare Hawaiian tree that is around 1,000 years old.
"Students also learned how modern developments are encroaching upon such rare forests like these," said Walk.
Among other things, students visited the University of Hawaii Hilo's astronomy center and the center's planetarium. One night students created a kukulu o kalani or "star compass" measuring 15 feet in diameter. Students visited with and learned from the captain and navigators of the Makali'i and another Hawaiian voyaging canoe, the Hokule'a, about celestial navigation.
—Photo courtesy of Nathan Hembree