$87,740 Grant for Waʻa Carving Project

Koʻihonua today announced a grant award totaling $87,740 that will support the Native Hawaiian community through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) Kūlia Grants Program. The grant will help to reinforce and strengthen Native Hawaiians’ ‘ohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻāina (land and water). 

With an $87,740 OHA grant award, Koʻihonua will launch its Haʻikūumauma Project as part of its carving program which will pair living Hawaiian treasure Sam Ka’ai with Tahitian master canoe carver Freddie Tauotaha. The program will provide hands-on training in the knowledge and practice of kālai wa’a, canoe carving. Maui Tauotaha, a videographer and the son of Freddie Tauotaha, will capture the carving skills, techniques, and process through video and other media.

“We are humbled for this opportunity to perpetuate the art of canoe carving for future generations,” Maui Tauotaha said. “My father has wanted to teach and I and others have wanted to learn for over 30 years but the stars never aligned.  We are very grateful to OHA for supporting this endeavor to practice and share this ʻike that has been passed down in our family for generations.  We honor all of our kūpuna by perpetuating this nearly lost tradition.” 

The purpose of the Haʻikūumauma Project is to serve the Native Hawaiian lāhui in alignment with the strategic foundations, directions, and outcomes of 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.