Pacific Paddler April 2013 - (Page 18)

AdveRtoRIAl Hum u – A Koa plan When the outrigger sport saw its Hawaii revival in the 1970’s, and rules defining what a koa canoe was and how it was to be built, no one at the time was aware of a building method other than hollowing a canoe from a koa log. The reason for this was likely due to the near century-long western influence that stifled Hawaiian culture to its near extinction of many cultural components. Kahuna Kukulu Wa’a (masters of ancient canoe building) passed away without having the ability In 1981, the late Tommy Holmes published his book, The Hawaiian Canoe1. This remarkable effort represented fifteen years of research- ing all available historical resources and data relating to the canoe. The Hawaiian Canoe is looked upon by many in the sport to be the Hawaiian canoe’s authentic history which speaks to nearly sixty dif- ferent canoe types. One such type canoe is the Wa’a Humu or sewn canoe; a canoe built of planks sewn together with coconut sennit. Photographs and illustrations of this type of gunwale and manu construction are pictured in the book. Wa ’a Like the rediscovery of celestial navigation, recent discoveries of ancient Hawaiians building plank canoes have raised awareness of this lost art of construction. Aired on the History Channel’s “Who Really Discovered America”2, remnants of koa plank canoes have been discovered in North America and in Chile, South America. One such remnant is on display in Santa Monica’s Museum of Natural History. Since koa grows nowhere else in the world other than Hawaii, Dr. James Delgado3, Nautical Archaeologist with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, and colleagues Dr. James Allen4 and Dr. Peter Vitousek5, have proved the koa plank canoes could not have come from anywhere other than Hawaii. The sewn planks are confirmed to be of Hawaiian origin. Knowing Hawaiians and other Polynesian cultures navigated by the stars, they queried that if the Hawaiians could discover and inhabit relatively small island groups thousands of miles apart in the Pacific Ocean, why could they not have also discovered the larger land masses of the Americas? They indeed did. Carbon dating the koa plank remnants dates the koa to 1000 A.D. The planks were confirmed to have been sewn in the tradi- tional Hawaiian fashion with coconut sennit. Fish hooks and chicken bones found with the koa plank canoe in Chile, South America have answered the question further. DNA from the chicken bones traces back to chickens in Hawaii. The fish hooks have been identified and verified as having come from Hawaii as well. The sweet potato, which became a staple in the Hawaiian diet, is not native to Hawaii. It is native to the Ecuadorian tribe of Chile. It is surmised that, at minimum, the Hawaiians left the Chilean natives 1The Hawaiian Canoe by Tommy Holmes, first edition, 1981. 2"Who Really discovered america", History Channel. 3dr. James delgado is a maritime archaeologist who has spent nearly four decades in underwater exploration. a veteran of over 100 shipwreck investigations around the world. 4dr. James allen is a prominent australian archaeologist who has specialized in the archaeology of the South Pacific. in 1966, Jim allen undertook the first professional excavation of a European site in australia, the 1840s military settlement of victoria, which was established at Port Essington, the northernmost part of the Northern Territory. He published extensively on the lapita project, which aimed to trace expansion of Polynesian settlement through the distinctive pottery style. He taught in the department of Prehistory at the australian National university before becoming the foundation Chair of archaeology at la Trobe university appointed to the Chair in 1985 and has recently held the position of australian Research Council Senior Research Fellow at la Trobe. in the 1990s, he played a prominent role in the debate over the forced repatriation of aboriginal remains. 5dr. Peter vitousek is an american ecologist, particularly known for his work on the nitrogen cycle. Born in Hawaii, vitousek graduated from amherst College in 1971 and received his Ph.d. in biology from dartmouth College in 1975.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler April 2013

Kanaka Ikaika
Partick Dolan
Kauai Hoe Wa'a
HIPA
HHSAA Championship
Molokai World Championships
Festival of Canoes
Puakea Foundation
SOCAL Ocean Racing
James Moore-morial race
Canadian Outrigger
HOENA WALE NO!
Think 3D in exercise
Hawaii Ocean Expo program
Insurance for canoes

Pacific Paddler April 2013