Hokuleia
The story of Hōkūle‘a is woven into an ancient relationship between island peoples and the ocean—a bond cultivated over thousands of years through careful observation, respect, and trust in the natural world. For a time, this knowledge came close to fading, as modern systems replaced ancestral ways of navigating, living, and relating to place. What followed, however, was not loss, but renewal: a reawakening of cultural memory, dignity, and responsibility to the land and sea. This story continues today as communities seek ways to live in balance with the Earth we all share, carrying forward lessons meant for future generations.
Hōkūle‘a, meaning Star of Gladness, emerged from a vision to reconnect with the brilliance and courage of the Polynesian navigators who first crossed vast oceans to reach Hawai‘i. The great voyaging canoes of their time no longer existed, and with them, much of the embodied knowledge they carried. In the 1970s, inspired individuals came together to bring this legacy back to life by building a double-hulled canoe guided by ancestral design and wisdom. Since her launch, Hōkūle‘a has become a living symbol of unity—drawing people from many backgrounds into shared purpose—and reminding the world that protecting culture, knowledge, and the natural world is a collective responsibility.
Voyages of Rediscovery
Hōkūle‘a’s journey to Tahiti in 1976 marked a powerful moment of cultural reconnection across the Pacific. Tahiti has long held deep genealogies and oral histories of ancestral canoes and master navigators, yet at that time, no traditional voyaging canoe sailed its shores. When Hōkūle‘a entered Pape‘ete Harbor, the response was overwhelming—thousands gathered along the coastline in a shared recognition of a living heritage returning to the ocean.
That arrival became more than the completion of a voyage; it was a collective remembrance and affirmation of ancestral identity, reminding island communities of the enduring knowledge, resilience, and spirit that continue to guide who they are today.
At the time of that first journey, ancestral navigation knowledge in Hawai‘i was in serious danger of disappearing, with no remaining wayfinders from within the culture able to guide a long ocean voyage. In response, the Voyaging Society sought wisdom beyond Polynesia and found it in Mau Piailug, a master navigator from the Micronesian island of Satawal. By agreeing to share his knowledge and lead Hōkūle‘a to Tahiti, Mau made the voyage possible, offering a rare and generous act of cultural stewardship that helped restore voyaging traditions and ensure their continuation across the Pacific.
Rex is an educator who first sailed on Hōkūleʻa in 2014, during the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, from his home island of Samoa to Olohega/Swains Island. That’s all it took for Rex to then dedicate so many of his gifts and passions to Hōkūleʻa. “She means everything to me,” he says, “Hōkūleʻa is the va (space) that connects us to our past, future and especially the present. Our world is changing, and we are at the forefront of these changes. Changes that will protect our world and the future of all living things.”
Now on the Moananuiākea Voyage, Rex looks forward to visiting family and friends from across earth’s largest ocean, and “to reconnect to our ancestral homelands.” Voyaging perpetuates the “teachings of our teachers and peoples,” he says. “Some of our small island nations don’t have canoes and are somewhat disconnected from the ocean. The solution has always been there in front of our eyes. We build capacity within our communities and build canoes and teach our people how to care and love for them.”
When Rex is voyaging he says he misses “my partner and kids first and foremost, a freshwater shower, then ice cream.” And when he is not at sea, he misses sunrises and sunsets, which “are just beautiful,” he says, and “the clear night skies and the occasional squalls.”
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