Moananuiākea — string quartet (anticipated 2026)
Moananuiākea will be a new work for string quartet celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Hōkūleʻa’s first voyage to Tahiti. Performances of the work will be supplemented by community engagement activities and educational resources around the subject of Polynesian Voyaging.
Polynesian Voyaging Society
The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) was founded in 1973 on a legacy of Pacific Ocean exploration, seeking to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, one another, and their natural and cultural environments.
On May 1, 2026 PVS will celebrate the 50th anniversary of voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa’s maiden voyage to Tahiti. This historical voyage was the first time in more than 600 years that a Polynesian voyaging canoe sailed from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti using traditional non-instrument navigation, the ancestral art of wayfinding that had been lost in Hawaiʻi for hundreds of years. Hōkūleʻa’s 1976 arrival to Tahiti restored pride and dignity to Native Hawaiians and sparked a voyaging revival in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
The 50th Anniversary of Hōkūleʻa’s first voyage to Tahiti will be a milestone celebration to honor voyaging visionaries and the rebirth of voyaging. In this time, PVS has conducted numerous voyages to connect with communities in Hawaiʻi, the Pacific and around the world and to share the story of Hōkūleʻa in hopes that it will inspire others to protect their culture, people, place and nature. The next voyage, Moananuiākea, is scheduled to launch in 2022. Hōkūleʻa’s and sister canoe Hikianalia will circumnavigate the Pacific and return to Hawaiʻi in 2026, during the 50th Anniversary year of the first voyage to Tahiti.
“PVS looks forward to collaborating with people such as Leilehua to help amplify the story and mission of Hōkūleʻa through various mediums including music, poetry, storytelling and education.”
— Sonja Swenson Rogers, Director of Communications, Polynesian Voyaging Society
Polynesian Navigational Techniques: Wayfinding
Wayfinding, or Polynesian navigational techniques includes star navigation, reading clouds and sea states, observing the flight paths of birds, and many other subtle observations in real time to navigate on ocean voyages. One of the greatest sources of pride for Hawaiians is the feat of reengaging with wayfinding—through the leadership of Nainoa Thompson. Thompson developed the modern star compass, and through study with master navigator Mau Pialug successfully reinvigorated the tradition of wayfinding in Hawaiʻi and around the Pacific.
In an article by my great-grandfather Samuel Wilder King written almost a hundred years ago in the 34th Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society (1925, 11-14), he describes how “the ancient Hawaiians had a splendid foundation in seamanship and navigation.” Before science confirmed what we know now about wayfinders, Hawaiians like him knew of these traditions through the language of their ancestors.
Educational Resources
A Story Map of the Voyages of Hōkūleʻa — an interactive resource from the Polynesian Voyaging Society