All About the Hōkūle‘a’s Upcoming Worldwide Voyage -- A Hangout with Miki Tomita



University Laboratory Public Charter School teacher and Hōkūle‘a crew member Miki Tomita agreed to hang out with Google Rocks! Hawaii HOA panelists* to talk about the Hōkūle‘a’s World Wide Voyage 2014-2017. What an eye opener!

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Background: The Polynesian Voyaging Society built the Hōkūle‘a ("Star of Gladness") in 1973 for scientific inquiry.
"How did the Polynesians discover and settle small islands in ten million square miles of ocean, geographically the largest “nation” on earth? How did they navigate without instruments, guiding themselves across ocean distances of 2500 miles?" mo'olelo
Nainoa Thompson is the Society's highly esteemed president.

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The hangout

First of all, Miki showed us this inspiring 6-minute video from the Hōkūle‘a crew.

 
Hōkūle‘a’s Worldwide Voyage: Island Wisdom, Ocean Connections, Global Lessons 
from Hōkūle‘a Crew on Vimeo.
Miki's information-packed slide presentation starts at 28:29: (12 min.)
Miki talks about the project she's involved with: connecting school gardens around the world with the Hōkūle‘a’s Worldwide Voyage, starting at 41:05: (9 min.)
Here's the full hangout:


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Technology: One of the most interesting things about the Hōkūle‘a's upcoming Worldwide Voyage is the abundance of technology tied to the journey. The Hōkūle‘a itself will remain a non-instrument canoe. But its sister canoe Hikianalia is a fully-equipped vessel. 
 
Miki gives details in the Hangout about the technology involved, including documenting and archiving events via blogging and Google+ Hangouts.
According to Miki:
"Technology can be a bridge between our past and our future and help us critically think about all aspects of our lives."
Participation: These are ways students and teachers, as well as communities and organizations, can follow the Hōkūle‘a on its World Wide Voyage:
1. Bookmark hokulea.org. According to Miki, everything will be housed at the website.
 
2. Subscribe to the Hōkūle‘a Calendar.
3. Like the Hokulea Crew's Facebook page.
4. Follow @HokuleaWWV on Twitter.
(Perhaps the crew will consider creating a public Google+ community as well, for in-depth discussions.)
Students and teachers looking to actively engage with the Worldwide Voyage can share their story or ask the crew a question. And educators can sign up to get email updates about educational opportunities for students and teachers.
Schools wanting to participate more fully can email Miki at miki.k.tomita@gmail.com or Jenna Ishii at jenna.ishii@gmail.com.

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Thoughts: Miki Tomita is a passionate educator, and her enthusiasm is infectious!
 
Thank you, Miki, for sharing your mana'o with the Google Rocks! panel, and we look forward to following and supporting the Hōkūle‘a on its three-year voyage and beyond. First departure: for Tahiti in May 2014.
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@mauilibrarian2
G+
*Thanks to +Michael Fricano II+Chad Nacapuy  +Anne Torige and +Michelle Carlson Colte for participating in the Hangout.