Hikianalia Alahula Kai o Maleka California Voyage arrives in Ventura, California. PC: Robert Schwemmer, NOAA
The Hikianalia Alahula Kai o Maleka California Voyage continued with a stop in Ventura County on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018.
The traditional voyaging canoe arrived in Ventura Harbor in the morning accompanied by local outrigger canoe paddlers. The crew was given a special water welcome followed by a cultural welcome ceremony at the dock hosted by the Ventura community. While in Ventura Harbor, the crew will host school visits and public dockside canoe tours. The canoe is also scheduled to make stops in Channel Islands Harbor and Santa Cruz Island while in Ventura County.
During this morning’s welcome ceremony, the crew was greeted by the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians of the Chumash Nation, the indigenous people of this area traditionally known as Chumash Territory. Local community leaders and hula hālau including Ka Hale Hula O Pilialohaokalani O Hilo, Hālau Hula O Pualanina‘auali‘ioha and Hula Hālau O Puananiha`aheo also welcomed the crew with chants and dance.
Following the welcome ceremony, hundreds of people from the Ventura County community visited Hikianalia and the crew to learn about the mission of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the California Voyage during dockside canoe tours. This afternoon, the crew conducted a presentation about traditional Polynesian voyaging at Channel Island National Park.
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Since arriving into San Francisco on Sept. 16, Hikianalia has made stops in Sausalito, Half Moon Bay and Monterey. Following the approximately 10-day engagement in Ventura County, the crew will head to Redondo Beach in Los Angeles followed by Dana Point in Orange County. The final stop of the California Voyage will be San Diego. Below is the tentative port schedule.
Hikianalia made landfall at Half Moon Bay on Monday, Sept. 10 after sailing approximately 2,800-miles over 23 days. Powered by wind and sun, the 13-person crew demonstrated the important relationship between humanity and the natural environment as they navigated their way from Hawaiʻi to California using cues from nature, rather than a GPS or other modern navigational instruments, to guide the way.
The crew arrived just in time for the Global Climate Action Summit, Sept. 12 to 14.
About Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage
The Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage is a continuation of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Mālama Honua campaign to inspire action toward an environmentally and culturally thriving world. The name of the voyage, Alahula Kai o Maleka, honors the “frequented pathway,” alahula, across the ocean between Hawaiʻi and California, kai o Maleka. Kai o Maleka, literally means “sea of America,” a traditional reference to the Pacific waterway connecting the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast. Additional purposes of the voyage are to celebrate the Polynesian communities of California; connect, learn and share the Mālama Honua message with schools and communities; continue developing the next generation of voyaging captains, navigators and crewmembers; and to share the story of Hikianalia, a canoe that blends ancient wisdom and modern solutions to address the environmental and cultural issues of today. The major sponsors of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage are Hawaiian Airlines, OluKai, Kamehameha Schools and Hawaii Tourism Authority.
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