BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway, members of his executive council, the PCC president, LDS Foundation staff and several major donors joined the crew of the University's Hawaiian Studies voyaging canoe, Iosepa, on June 24 for a morning sail in the gentle breezes off the Kohala coast of the Big Island.
A luau and special presentation to the organization, which has been training Iosepa sailors for the past three years, followed.
Soon after Hawaiian Studies received permission to proceed with the construction of Iosepa, program director William K. "Uncle Bill" Wallace III contacted his cousin, the late Clay "Cap" Bertelmann of Waimea, Hawaii -- captain of the voyaging canoe, Makalii, until he passed away earlier this year -- to ask if he would train Iosepa's crew.
"When Cap accepted the kuleana, the responsibility, for training Iosepa, he committed our whole 'ohana [family] with him," said Chadd Paishon, Bertelmann's son-in-law and the current captain of Makalii, referring to their community-based nonprofit support organization, Na Kalai Wa'a Moku o Hawaii. Makalii "family" members have been helping prepare the BYU-Hawaii canoe and crew ever since, which is why Iosepa has been at Makalii's home port for the past month.
With a fresh morning breeze, a calm sea and clear skies showing the 13,792-foot summit of Mauna Kea far in the distance, President Shumway climbed aboard the University's 57-foot traditional Hawaiian wa'a kaulua or twin-hulled voyaging canoe along with Von Orgill, President of the Polynesian Cultural Center; Laie master carver Tuione Pulotu, who helped create the canoe; donor Dallas Low, a former labor missionary who helped build the BYU-Hawaii campus and PCC; President's Leadership Council member and donor Ira A. Fulton, an Arizona businessman whose generosity has supported many BYU in Provo and BYU-Hawaii initiatives, including Iosepa and the Hawaiian Studies programs.
Soon after the escort vessel Alaka'i towed Iosepa clear of Kawaihae harbor's channel markers, the crew -- captained by Paishon -- and most of the visitors set the sails and the canoe tacked up and down the coast for the next several hours.
As the crew does every time Iosepa completes a run, they stowed the sails, coiled all the ropes, washed the decks, and received feedback from Paishon and Wallace before joining hands Hawaiian-style in pule -- prayer.
"It was a great experience," President Shumway said. "I had the opportunity to ride Hokulea from Kualoa to Kahana one time, and Iosepa rides much more smoothly."
"We were out there pulling ropes and I also had the chance to steer," said Napua Baker, vice-president of University advancement who later in the afternoon joined crew and Makalii family members in jumping off the dock for a swim in the harbor.
Following a luau prepared by Na Kalai Wa'a, under the direction of Bishop Glenn Bertelmann of Waimea 2nd Ward, Clay Bertelmann's brother, Iosepa crewmembers retrieved a canoe boom they had brought from Laie to present to Na Kalai Wa'a. The boom is for a canoe they are building to present to Pius "Papa Mau" Piailug, the traditional navigator from Satawal, Micronesia, who helped restore the ancient navigation art in Hawaii starting with the voyaging canoe Hokulea in the mid-1970s.
During the special presentation, Wallace first chanted in Hawaiian, then explained Clay Bertelmann asked for Iosepa's help if there was any wood left over from its creation. Wallace added the crew lashed the boom to Iosepa and brought it with them when they came here for extended training at the end of May.
"It was not by accident that I picked up the phone to talk to Clay," Wallace said of the close relationship between the BYU-Hawaii canoe and Na Kalai Wa'a. "We look forward to the future."
President Shumway, a noted Tongan language scholar, next spoke in formal oratory in that language, then said, "This is a very important historical day, probably more than any of us realize. There's something very special about this whole process."
He explained Iosepa was "created without contention" and is a symbol of "God's family in the world. It's a link between us and the past. It's a link between us and the future. We sail as a family."
"All of this that's happening is bigger than any one of us," he continued. "Iosepa unites us all."
"For us, it's always been about sailing as a family. Our community is our family," captain Paishon responded, referring to the Na Kalai Wa'a members surrounding him. "That's the first thing we noticed about Iosepa."
"We all stand together," he added, referring to the Iosepa crew, which is comprised of BYU-Hawaii faculty, students and community members. In addition, many Laie and surrounding community members supported the creation of the canoe, starting in February 2001.
Iosepa is tentatively scheduled to sail for Laie this week, with stops at Hana, Maui, and Molokai.