As part of our 45th anniversary celebration in 2008 and in cooperation with our neighboring institution of Brigham Young University Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center has launched a major new attraction — Iosepa: Voyage of Discovery — located in the Hawaiian village. This unique attraction includes:
- Halau Wa'a O Iosepa — literally the "canoe house of Iosepa" [need picture of Iosepa in the house]: To accommodate BYU-Hawaii's sailing canoe Iosepa as well as room for students and visitors to walk around the canoe, the distinctive A-shaped halau measures 85-feet long (25.9m), 43-feet wide (13.1m) and is almost 40-feet high (12m). The halau is located so the canoe can be easily removed and returned by a large custom-designed trailer. A unique custom-designed track-and-cradle system enables two people to pull the large canoe inside the halau and out onto the deck.
- The Iosepa: Two master carvers created the 57-foot long (17.4m) Iosepa from seven large tropical hardwood logs imported from Fiji in 2001 (suitably sized logs were not available in Hawaii at that time). It is patterned after a traditional Hawaiian wa'a kaulua or twin-hulled voyaging canoe. It features a single Polynesian-style "crab claw" sail plus a jib, and two large sweeps or steering oars. BYUH Hawaiian Studies students usually sail the Iosepa in the late spring when the winds and weather are more favorable.
- The Star Compass: Hawaiian villagers will demonstrate how modern Polynesian navigators today use non-instrument celestial wayfinding based on ancient observations of where various stars and constellations "rise" in the east and "set" in the west, and how they track across the night sky. Through careful observation and handed-down wisdom, the navigators know the locations of various islands relative to the orbital star paths during certain seasons of the year, or hokupa'a — the "immovable" North Star. Ancient navigators also used winds, waves and other feedback such as birds to find their way.
- Knot-tying: Learn the essential knots modern voyaging canoe sailors must all know how to tie quickly, sometimes with one hand or in the dark of night on a wet, rolling deck.
- Presentations and displays: Twice a day, at 1 p.m. and at 4 p.m., Hawaiian villagers will explain how their ancestors prepared for deep-ocean voyages, and the adaptations those who sail on the Iosepa today have made. Throughout the day, displays provide additional information and video clips of the Iosepa at sea. Visitors can also walk around the Iosepa to gain an appreciation of its scale and feel the mana or "spirit essence" it radiates.
The Halau Wa'a O Iosepa project also includes improvements to the Marquesas Landing snack bar area, which is a pleasant place from which to view the canoe.
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The establishment of the BYUH Hawaiian Studies program, the creation of the Iosepa and its voyages, and the construction and ongoing maintenance of the Halau Wa'a O Iosepa, have been made possible by generous donations and an initial grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For further information on assisting these programs... |
