‘Imiloa Astronomy Center presents the wayfinding talk, “Voices from the Wa‘a: Reflections on the First 20 Years of the Hokule‘a” at 7 p.m. on Friday.
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center presents the wayfinding talk, “Voices from the Wa‘a: Reflections on the First 20 Years of the Hokule‘a” at 7 p.m. on Friday.
This program will feature Gordon Pi‘ianai‘a, the captain of Hokule‘a on its pivotal 1980 voyage, during which he, Nainoa Thompson and others became the first Hawaiians in some 600 years to locate Tahiti without using modern navigational tools.
Pi‘ianai‘a spent 20 years sailing and voyaging on the Hokule‘a, serving as first mate on her 1976 voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii and also as captain on the 1980 and 1985 voyages. Pi‘ianai‘a was one of the early pioneering leaders in the formative years of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, serving both as co-chair of the Education Committee and also as a board member.
Today he continues to work to perpetuate and revitalize the art of wayfinding and navigation through his involvement with the ‘Ohana Wa‘a, a consortium of Hawaii’s voyaging organizations, canoe leadership and crews.
Gordon Keawe-a-Heulu Keli‘imaika‘i Pi‘ianai‘a is a retired U.S. Naval Reserve captain, educator and community leader. He was born in Honolulu to a family noted for its mariners and geographers. His father, Abraham, was a master mariner who introduced him to the sea when he was 5 by taking him sailing on inter-island ships.
A graduate of the Kamehameha School for Boys, Gordon received his bachelor’s of science degree in nautical science from the California Maritime Academy, and later conducted graduate studies in geography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, joining his father and sister, ‘Ilima, in the Department of Geography.
‘Imiloa’s wayfinding programs are made possible through generous title sponsorship from Matson.
The program ticketing is $8 for members (member-level discounts apply) and $10 for nonmembers. Tickets can be pre-purchased at the ‘Imiloa front desk or by phone, using Visa, MasterCard, Discover or JCB, by calling 969-9703 during regular business hours. Tickets are non-refundable.
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii is at 600 ‘Imiloa Place at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Science and Technology Park. For more information, go to www.imiloahawaii.org, or call 969-9700.