After almost two years, Hawaiian studies students will once again sail the Iosepa canoe to the other Hawaiian islands to give service and use the skills they have learned in the classroom, according to the Hawaiian studies department. Malama Kai, which is Hawaiian for “sea responsibility,” is a class and lab at BYU-Hawaii. It is the Hawaiian Studies class that teaches students how to prepare and sail the Iosepa canoe. Students will travel on the Iosepa this summer.The preparation includes visits to the Hawaiian village of the PCC twice a week to re-sand, re-varnish and epoxy the Iosepa. The 57-foot, double-hulled traditional-style voyager has been taken apart to be worked on and will take 12-14 students, along with a few faculty, to sail the canoe between the islands for about four weeks of Summer A Semester. The students scheduled to sail have already studied the Hawaiian language and Malama Aina, land responsibility, courses to help with the work in the communities they will visit. Hawaiian Studies Professor Richard Walk said, “We like to perform service for the community and teach them about the wa’a [canoe] and about BYUH. It’s a good opportunity to represent what we are about to other communities as we go around.” He said the places they have been have always welcomed them back because students left such a good impression. Walk added the Iosepa crew seeks to leave each place they visit better than when they arrived. Former Director of Hawaiian Studies, William Kauaiwi‘ulaokalani Wallace III, said, “It’s equally important to know where you came from and why you’re here. The canoe symbolizes the journey we all must take.” Walk also said the Iosepa canoe allows students to “learn about themselves and their abilities and the abilities that they thought were beyond the boundaries that they thought they could cross.”The students said through the work they have done on the Iospea, they have learned more about life. Isaac Runnels, a junior in Hawaiian Studies from Hawaii, said, “Working with the Iosepa has also taught me the importance and value of hard work, cooperation, and critical thinking in solving various problems that we encounter.”Runnels continued, “I am looking forward to sharing the life-long lessons that we will gain as we sail on this unique and sacred wa’a. These are the stories that my children hear and will continue to hear from me as they grow up.” Walk shared a story about when the former crew went to the island of Molokai. He said the Iosepa crew visited the inside of the Father Damien Church at the original site of the leper colony, Kalawao. The crew sat and sang the song, “Secret Prayer” in Hawaiian. He said the spirit was strong and they knew the deceased patients who had visited the church during their earthly lives to find hope and solace in God were there as angels singing with them.
Writer: Lauren Steimle ~ Multimedia Journalist
