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The Vaka Taumako Project of
the Pacific Traditions Society

NEWSLETTER: MARCH 2001  Volume 4 Issue 1
		Inside this issue: Kaveia begins navigation school VTP Program Projections for 2001 Taumako sends 3 to Kaua'i News from Solomon Islands Photo Gallery Video Needs

 

Kaveia begins navigation school       – New halavaka is classroom By M. GEORGE Building a halevaka (canoe house) and starting a school of navigation on Taumako are the two highest and most urgent priorities of the Vaka Taumako Project. The halevaka will provide an urgently needed multipurpose space - a shelter and maintenance area for two voyaging canoes, an office, archive, meeting place for voyaging traditions and activities, a school classroom for the navigation school, and accommodation for non-resident students and other visitors to the school. Construction of the halevaka and classes of the navigation school are both scheduled to begin on 1 February, 2001, and conclude in September, 2001, funds permitting. These programs are crucial to achieving the stated aims of the Vaka Taumako Project - to build, sail, and document the technology and navigation of authentic Polynesian voyaging canoes using traditional methods. MAKING PLANS in the Vaka Taumako Project office. (L-R) Upper row is Vaka Taumako, Mostyn Vane and Chief Kaveia. Back of heads are (L-R) Renate Westner, Meph Wyeth and Mimi George. $14,250.US is needed to meet the labor and materials costs of these two programs. For specific budget breakdown, see www.vaka.org. $10,000.US in funding is already offered to support the building of a 5.5 Meter tealolili type voyaging canoe on Taumako during 2001 - early 2002. Once completed, this canoe will be used for education of navigation school students. Another $10,000.US is already offered to support the preparation and shipping of the outrigger parts for the tealolili which will be assembled and used for educational and research programs in Hawai`i. During 2001, the students in the first round of navigation school classes will produce several of the parts needed to build the canoes. The students will also be among the laborers who build the Halevaka. I. Halevaka Taumako The Halevaka Taumako will be a tall, traditional sego palm leaf roof and walled structure which will house two 5.5 fathom canoes - the Vaka Taumako and one of the type called tealolili that will be built in 2001-2, as well as an office/archive/accommodation room and an adjoining roofed area with one or two sides open (no walls), which will be the site of meetings and classes of the Lata Navigation School. The Halevaka will be built at Kahula kainga on the island of Taumako during late January - July, 2001. The site has already been cleared for construction. II. Lata Navigation School Students of the Lata Navigation School will study the rudiments of building, sailing, and navigating traditional craft using traditional methods and tools. Duff Islander and Outer Reefs (Vaeakau) students will receive priority for class registrations. Foreign students will be welcomed with advance registration and orientation. Organization/Budget for Lata Navigation School Eight classes will be taught for one month at two sessions/wk for minimum 2 hours/session. Kaveia, as Principal, will appoint all teachers and change appointments as needed. The Principal will also accept or deny each applicant to classes, and will give final examinations to all students at the end of each class. The Recorder will interview each teacher weekly, and record the activity in each class, when and where it occurs, which students are in attendance, and the level of interest in each class. The subjects, teachers and staff positions will be: 1. "fetu" or "stars", by Maune 2. "ano hoanga tem dangi" or "positions (and changes)of wind" by Leiau 3. "ho kohua" or swells and waves, and "te lapa" or "underwater lightening" by Oliver 4. sailing operations or "teangatealo" by Kaveia 5. "hagakaula" or "construction" of canoes by Jonas 6. "heuheu" or sail weaving by Joyce 7. making "kaha" and "hauhau" or lashing canoe and sewing sail by Fox 8. making noa and haumamalu cordage for rigging and harvesting rattan for li`i by Hapa 9. Principal's examination at end of each 1 month class and practical at end of all 8 classes by Kaveia 10. recording of class work done in each class, students in attendance, times and interest of class by Vane For budget breakdown and registration information see the  VTP Projections for 2001

Taumako Sends Three to Kaua'i   By H. M. WYETH The November-December Cultural Exchange, including Paramount Chief Koloso Kaveia, his daughter Vaka Taumako, and Mostyn Vane, was an exciting time for hosts and guests alike. The presence of seventeen year old Vaka Taumako enlivened things considerably. Not only was this her first visit to Hawai`i, but her first trip off Taumako as well. That meant a whole list of firsts for her: her first time to ride in a car, plane, bus, or ship; her first time to sleep in a bed (on Taumako you sleep on a mat); her first experience of telephones, electric lights, refrigerators, cows, cold drinks, movies, washing machines, tv, ice cream, chopsticks (see photo), horses, and a host of other things many of us take for granted. We were impressed by her ability to adapt and her willingness to try new things, qualities essential to voyagers of all climes and eras! (See the photo essay of the Taumakoan's visit to Kaua`i below.)   – News from the Solomon Islands Mimi escorted the Taumako delegation from Taumako to Kaua`i and Meph escorted them back as far as Lata. Mimi flew to Honiara 2 Nov. on the first flight since the four months break in service to Solomons. Towns people were very nervous, though all do believe that the peace will last. In Temotu Province there was the usual lack of transport for Kaveia, his daughter, and his aide Mostyn, to get from Taumako to Lata, Santa Cruz. So Mimi enlisted the aide of stalwart Ross Hepworth to go to Taumako and pick them up with his fiberglass canoe and two 25hp OBMs. Ross, however, was threatened with death and destruction of his canoe by a disgruntled Provincial politician in Taumako, so he waited for Mimi to arrive. When she finally did, she was enthusiastically welcomed by all and the way was clear to go to Taumako, but by then the weather had turned bad. [Part 1 of a 2-part series. How did they make it through the bad weather? Find out in the next newsletter!] Meanwhile, the Chief, Vaka and Mostyn returned home safely to Taumako in late December. They traveled aboard the M.V. Eastern Trader, chartered by the Vaka Taumako Project for the trip from Lata to the Duff Islands. This charter also enabled a number of Duff islanders in Honiara to go home, and secondary school pupils from Taumako to return from Christmas visits with their families. Had it not been for the charter, the Chief and his group would probably have had to stay in Lata for at least a month, as the next ship scheduled to make a round of Temotu Province was not due to leave until late February at the earliest. (Those of you who have experienced delays in your holiday travel can sympathize. However, delays in Temotu travel time are counted in weeks and months instead of hours and days! Meph reports that Honiara had a calm New Year holiday. Though the causes of last year's ethnicstrife remain to be addressed, Guadalcanal was peaceful while she was there. In church services, newspaper stories, and casual conversations, people openly expressed gratitude for the cessation of fighting. Significantly, a local T-shirt company was briskly selling shirts that bore the slogan: "ETHNIC TENSION SURVIVOR." "Levity notwithstanding, the people of Solomon Islands still need our prayers for peace," Meph said. "We wish them well in the new year." As another popular T-shirt says, "Celebrate the new millennium with peace in our hearts."

Photo Essay of Taumako Visit to Kaua'i THE MAN BEHIND THE WEBSITE is Larry Williamson (L), our unsung hero who works long hours on the website and also helps with videotaping, editing, and training video students. Larry helped Renate with her video cataloging project, especially with the constant problem of equipment failure.     DENNIS CHUN (R) teaches Hawaiian Studies at Kaua`i Community College.

(L-R) DENNIS CHUN, Mostyn, Mimi, Vaka and Kaveia discuss the making of the Taumako lauhala sail. Chun heads a canoe group, Na Kalai Wa`a, which is in the process of building a "vaka nui," as Chief Kaveia called it - a very large, double-hull voyaging canoe called the "Namahoe." The VTP team were guests at their open house last December, meeting many of Hawai`i's leaders of the voyaging canoe community.   NAINOA THOMPSON (white shirt, kneeling), famous Hawaiian navigator with the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawai`i, and others interested in traditional outrigger canoe voyaging, admire the lauhala sail crafted by the Taumako. Thompson said he was pleased to finally meet the chief and his people because he'd been hearing about the Taumako for some time.

THE TAUMAKO DELEGATION were guests on the Na Leo Hawaiian Issues program on KKCR Kaua`i Community Radio. Hosted by Healani Waiwai`ole, the program is live and takes phone calls on the air. Pictured at right (L-R) Healani, Chief Kaveia, Mostyn, Dean Rogers (Operations Manager & engineer), Vaka Taumako & Meph Wyeth. (L-R) CHIEF KAVEIA, MOSTYN & VAKA TAUMAKO join VTP Vice-President H. Meph Wyeth & singer/musician Michael Grace for a festive evening at the VTP office. A packed house celebrated the office manager Healani Waiwai`ole's birthday, with food, song and dance.

LORENZ KNAUER, documentary film producer and director from Germany, spent several weeks on Kaua`i, in part for vacation and in part to discuss a possible film production on Taumako. He had long discussions with Chief Kaveia and others working with VTP. He's pictured at right and below videotaping an interview with the chief.

Mahalo to Renate Westner, visiting cultural anthropologist from Germany staying with us from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15 to view our documentary film archive. She helped organize and catalogue the 100+ hours of raw footage on the building and voyaging of a traditional sailing canoe (tepuke) and everyday life on Taumako, shot mostly by young Taumakoan women and men. We would also like to thank Carol Bain, Diane Koerner, Chris Kauwe and Natalie Joyce for all their help. RENATE WESTNER & Healani Waiwai`ole take a break from work to get a picture with Vaka Taumako in the backyard of the VTP office. Renate was so impressed with the video work of the Taumakoans, she edited a short piece, "Through Our Eyes," from their footage to present at the Dec. 3, 2000, welcoming reception for the Taumakoans. Using the new editing equipment (Casablanca Avio), Renate selected shots taken by Taumakoan video students from 1996 - 1998. The tape was also shown on Ho`ike Public Access TV on Kaua`i, and will continue to be used for educational purposes and fundraising. Through Renate's tireless work, and with help from Larry Williamson, we now know that the way to save our footage from deterioration, and the best way to archive it, is to transfer it to mini-dv tapes until we can buy a dvd burner to transfer the footage from the mini-dv to a digital disk (dvd). VTP VIDEO FUNDING NEEDS, JAN. - AUG. 2001 $2,400 Eight months labor/supplies @ $300/mo ($20/hr @1/2 rate = $10/hr x 20 hrs/mo=$200/mo + $100/mo in tape and supplies). $2,000 to pay off credit card purchase of mini-dv deck for use in mastering the old tapes. $2,000 purchase of PAL mini-dv deck for mastering tapes to be shot at Taumako in Sept/Oct. 2001. $4,000 purchase of dvd burner equipment to use with AVIO video editing system to make more permanent digital record of mini-dv tapes. $2,400 labor, disks, etc. to master from mini-dv to digital with the dvd burner. $1,500 maintenance/repairs of two Sony x1000 cameras and tripods and for purchase of missing cables and connectors and a light kit. $2,500 purchase of digital still camera for use in September on Taumako. $500 multi-system deck to play and record tapes in PAL system, VHS and SVHS. $1,000 repair of 2 x 35 mm still cameras and 3 light meters. $10,000 October, 2001 - February, 2002, we hope to intern a Taumakoan video student in Hawai`i: 3K for air and ship fares, 1K for traveling documents, clothes, medical, accommodation and for two months en route, 4K for food and accommodation during four months, in Hawai`i, 2K for salary/compensation to support spouse and children at home. $1,000 Cut-rate cost (we hope to acquire) to recut "The Heirs of Lata" video to improve production quality and qualify the tape for streaming on the  Archeology Channel website  (currently streaming "The First Voyage") and other TV venues. VTP appreciates the good help of Education Minister William Gigini and Undersecretary Donald Malasa in renewing our research permit from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education. The permit is now valid until March of 2004. NEXT ISSUE – Expected in the June, the next issue of the VTP newsletter will feature a description of the Taumakoan wind compass, a financial report of 1997-2000 donations and expenses, and a description of upcoming TV video production work and training in Taumako. BOARD MEETING - The Board of Directors of the Pacific Traditions Society will meet in early April. They will be happy to consider suggestions and proposals submitted by anyone prior to 30 March. To send in a contribution, please send your name, address, phone, FAX and email address to Vaka Taumako Project, P.O. Box 712, Capt. Cook, HI 96704 USA Make checks payable to the Vaka Taumako Project. Your donations are appreciated and tax-deductible as allowable by law. Mahalo!