Videotorial: Under the stars on Maui

The stars have always played a role in the history of Hawaiʻi, both as navigational way finders for early explorers and as a realm of the gods in Hawaiian culture.

Under the stars on Maui, Kala Tanaka connects with her ancestors through traditional Hawaiian voyaging. Her interest for voyaging began years ago, and she reached out to her father, a master navigator and one of the original crew members of the legendary Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe.

During her time in college, she went on her first sail, and about a decade later, she was part of the crew on the Hikianalia voyaging canoe from Hawai‘i to Tahiti in 2017.

She is proud to educate a new generation of voyagers in Maalaea Bay on the Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani in Maui. Regarding how she learned the art of navigating, she recalls her father’s word to her, that if she was going to voyage, she would have to find her own way to the canoe.

The stars have intrigued Kala Tanaka since her very first sail and she believes successful voyagers memorize the rising and setting points of stars and use them to navigate from place to place. 

The magic of navigation, she says, is making the island come to you. The ocean, the wind, and wildlife such as fish and birds don’t exist independently. They tell a whole story that tells you where you are if you open your mind and listen.

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