


Deedee Bertelmann and Mike Manu, three people who experienced the field of aloha that was the miracle of Mauloa.



Aunty Dee Dee takes up the story with, “The log was taken to Honaunau. They used sanding stones, ulu sap for glue, kukui for painting, hala for sails and coconut sennit. There were no nails, only lashing.” The entire process leading up to the launching of Mauloa was a continuous re-engagement with Hawaiian culture that fed the souls of all who were touched by it. Mike Manu remembers, “It was a good foundation and something I can’t forget. It gave me something to touch. I remember standing on a rock and chanting and now kids are chanting the same chants.”
The intentions of many people who shared a vision, breathed life into the voyaging traditions. From this miraculous endeavor came Nā Kālai Wa`a, a name that was given to the carving apprentices in 1991 by Keali`i Tau`a, which in two year’s time became the guardian canoe organization on Hawai`i Island. Now with such programs as E Lauhoe Wa`a, the effort to perpetuate the knowledge and wisdom that came on the wind, through the surge of the ocean into the hearts of many is, like a mysterious ocean current, moving our own canoes forward. Captain Chadd Onohi Paishon closed with the reflection, “We need to keep voyaging to remember. Need to be in the active process of doing. The younger generation is following in the wake of what started here with Mauloa.”