'OHANA WA'A
e mau ka ho'okele
What guides us
Nu'ukia
Our Vision
Our Mission
Our Philosophy
E MAU KA HOʻOKELE
Ensuring our voyaging legacies live on.
Our mission is to work together to elevate the collective health and life of our Voyaging traditions.
Our guiding philosophy, adopted from one of our family members, is
He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa (our island is the canoe, our canoe is our island). It speaks to the interdependent nature of our people, and teaches us that our actions on the canoe should be reflective of our actions on our island.
ALAKAʻI A HAHAI
Balanced Leadership and Mentorship
ʻŌPŪ ALIʻI
Servant and Symbiotic Leadership Relationships
WELO ʻOHANA
Perpetuation of
ʻOhana Waʻa Legacy
ʻIMI ʻOI KELAKELA
Disciplined Pursuit
of Excellence
HULIĀMAHI
Working Together in Unity
WAʻA ALOHA
Respecting and
Honoring Waʻa
He wa'a he moku,
he moku he wa'a
'Ohana Wa'a
Who we are
We are comprised of intergenerational indigenous leadership representatives of the voyaging canoes and organizations of Hawaiʻi. Our mission is to work together to elevate the collective health and life of our Voyaging traditions.
Mo'okū'auhau
Our Beginnings
The ʻOhana (family) Waʻa (canoe), meaning family of voyaging canoes, convened as a hui (group) on September 1-2, 2006 with the rising of the ʻole kūkolu and the setting of the ʻole pau moons. Under the guidance of the Honorable Judge Thomas Kaʻauwai Kaulukukui Jr., and through cultural based facilitation, discussion, sharing, ceremony, and much spirit, it was determined that the group did not need a non-profit designation at that time, but instead formalized as an organization with a honi (sharing of breath), a handshake, and a commitment to each other.
As the needs of the voyaging community evolved, so did ʻOhana Waʻa and the hui was formalized as a 501(c)3 organization on March 27, 2019.
Photos courtesy of Kaimana Barcarse, Pōmai Bertelmann, & Brendan George Ko