From Mikilani

The wa'a Iosepa has played such a great role in my life and it is still a great part of my life today. I had the privilege of helping with the building of Iosepa. I was working at the Hawaiian Studies Office as an oral historian/secretary. While working there, I decided that I would help in any way that I could. A lot of my friends were chosen as crew members and I was never asked to be a crew member.

Lehua and I decided that we would just be there to help and then we got more involved. It was only after the dedication of Iosepa that we became crew members. Aunty Ka'umealani told us that all we had to do was be dedicated to the canoe and the program. I am so glad that we decided to stick around and help because we were able to train on the Makali'i. I learned so many things about the Hawaiian culture that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have learned if it wasn't for the Iosepa.

We did not only learn about navigation and sailing, but I believe being on the crew of Iosepa helped us all to become better people. We learned what it meant to be pono, not just with others but also with ourselves. We also made lasting friendships. We still try and get together or stay in touch whenever we can. I know that the reason we are all still close is because of the life-changing experiences that we shared together.

Training with the Makali'i crew was an awesome experience. Working closely with Captain Bertelmann and Uncle Luther was such a growing experience. A humbling experience. They knew so much and we just wanted to learn it all. They gave me the nickname of "Mighty Mouse." Uncle Luther said he called me that because I was short but strong. On one occasion, Noelani and I were given the responsibility of re-lashing an area under Makali'i's deck. We hung onto an inner tube as we, along with Uncle Luther, tightened the lashings. It was challenging trying to stay afloat and pulling the lines at the same time. Uncle Luther told us that he probably could have asked some of the other crew members to do what we did but he knew that they would have complained because of the restricting area we had to work in.

I also remember being scared of Cap. He was always yelling and telling us what to do next. None of us wanted to be on his bad side. I do recall the time that the wahine went and sailed on Makali'i. That's when we all grew a lot closer with Cap. He was tough on the outside but a big teddy bear on the inside. I am so grateful for what he taught us and I hope that I can help teach it to others. I know that it meant so much to him and that he wanted what he passed onto us to be passed on to others.

As of right now, I am teaching Hawaiian Studies at Pomaika'i Elementary School on Maui. The students here are so much into worldly things and they don't appreciate the simple things of life or their culture. I was able to show the grade 2-5 classes part of "The Birthing of Iosepa" video. The majority of the students were really interested in Iosepa and voyaging canoes. I was so excited to see that they wanted to see more and learn more about the canoe. I want them to know how important it is for them to learn about their culture and their ancestors. I hope that they will be able to do that through learning about Iosepa.

I am a firm believer of Iosepa being a "floating classroom." That was it's purpose. I do not see how that would be possible if the canoe would be on "display" at the PCC. I hope that the halau at PCC will serve its initial purpose as a place to be dry-docked and not a place for the canoe to stay and be forgotten. The W. Kelloggs Foundation would be very disappointed to hear that we have been wasting their funds by keeping the Iosepa out of the water and not fulfilling its purpose for the Native people of Hawaii.