HE WA’A HE MOKU
He Wa’a He Moku is a documentary photo essay on the pillars of the canoeing and voyaging community in Maui, Hawaii. In the aftermath of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, these leaders have worked tirelessly to rebuild their spaces and communities.
Kala Tanaka, Anela Gutierrez, Walter Kanamu, and Nohea Farmer are pillars of the canoeing and voyaging community in Maui. Their stories of navigating by stars, planting the seeds of journeys not yet taken, and feeding those who set out to sea are inseparable from the island itself. Together, they carry forward a living tradition, passed down through callused hands and open water.
Our full documentary project Malāma Maui: The Land We Hold is available at malamamaui.unc.edu. View the Culture team’s multimedia story, which this photo essay is a part of, at malamamaui.unc.edu/culture/.
THE CANOE IS THE ISLAND
He moku he wa’a, he wa’a he moku. The island is the canoe, the canoe is the island. Canoeing and voyaging practices make up the foundation of Native Hawaiian culture. For the people of Maui, the Wa’a is a living connection to their ancestors, their land, and each other.
Kala Babayan Tanaka is a pillar of the canoeing community in Maui. She grew up learning to navigate from her father, Kālepa Babayan, and fell in love with following the stars. “I thought that the canoe was family.” As Education Director of Hui O Wa’a Kaulua, she passes her knowledge to the next generation.
Kala grew up on the decks of wa’a kaulua, double-hulled canoes. The 62-foot Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani was built over the course of 28 years, much by Timothy “Timi” Gilliom, the Kapena (captain) of Hui O Wa’a Kaulua. It now docks in Māʻalaea harbor.
In August of 2023, the home of Hui O Wa’a Kaulua in Lahaina was lost to the wildfires. Their beloved canoe, Mo’olele, perished in the tragedy. Today, they work tirelessly to return to Lahaina and bring Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani home.
Imparting the wisdom of her father and kūpuna, ancestors, is Kala’s calling. On a beach near Māʻalaea harbor, she teaches seven children, including three of her own, to listen to the ocean and read its patterns before they set out on canoes.
Anela Gutierrez is a voyager. Her practice is rooted in spirituality and ancestry. Now, she teaches paddling with the traditional chants and methods. “We have stories that are 4000 years old and all they had is the technology of a heartbeat and a voice to guide them.”
Paddling at dawn is a transcendent experience with the quiet of the water and the blue of the morning. The hardest moments of a paddle are passing the break and coming back through it.
Many people have found peace in paddling. Savitri Carlson has done just that. Looking out to the horizon on a rainy morning, she reflects on her time in Maui and all that she’s learned from this community.
Walter Kanamu has carried on his kūpuna’s legacy of planting the Koa and Kamani trees used to build canoes. “My ancestors were one with the birds that selected the tree to make the canoe…with the forest that released the tree down to the shore to be carved into a canoe.”
Uncle Walter and Aunty Dolly have little houses on Haleakalā mountain. Here, they tend to the sheep and watch the avocados grow, enjoying the peace. In the one-room house, stories of their life populate the walls in pictures.
In his youth, Uncle Walter won many medals with his paddles made from the Kamani tree. But to him, the only thing that matters is his love for the canoe and for the voyage.
Nohea Farmer is bringing to Hui O Wa’a Kaulua the practice of home-making preserved foods for canoe voyages. They use ingredients like kalo (taro), venison, and guava that are in abundance on Maui. Started just after the Lahaina wildfires, the program brings together the Hui O Wa’a community.
Nohea’s love for bringing people together with food was passed down by her grandmother. Her dream is to reconnect the Hawaiian islands with the canoe, returning to a time when voyaging between islands by canoe was more common than by land. This program is only the beginning of the journey.
Together, Kala, Anela, Walter, and Nohea carry forward a living tradition, passed down through callused hands and open water. Their stories of navigating by stars, planting the seeds of journeys not yet taken, and feeding those who set out to sea are inseparable from the island itself.