At dawn on October 8, 1999, a lookout posted at the bow of the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a sighted a speck on the horizon. There, rising out of the clouds, was the island of Rapa Nui, the southeastern-most corner of the Polynesian Triangle. After 25 years of open ocean voyaging, Hokule‘a and the Polynesian Voyaging Society had finally traveled to every point in the Polynesian Triangle.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1973 by California anthropologist Ben Finney, renowned Hawai‘i waterman and philanthropist the late Tommy Holmes, and Hawaiian artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kane. Their dream was to build a replica of the ancient Hawaiian voyaging canoes and sail in the way of the first Polynesian explorers, without the benefit of navigational instruments. The three felt this was the only way to refute those scholars who believed ancient Polynesians were incapable of purposefully settling the vast nation of Polynesia, which spans 10 million square miles of ocean.

On March 8, 1975, the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a was launched from Kualoa Beach on the island of O‘ahu, a site of great cultural significance. A year later, Hokule‘a sailed successfully from Tahiti to Hawai‘i, navigated by Mau Piailug, a master celestial navigator from the Micronesian island of Satawal. On board Hokule‘a for the return trip from Tahiti to Hawai‘i was a young Hawaiian named Nainoa Thompson.

In 1978, during an attempt to return to Tahiti, Hokule‘a swamped in waters off the island of Lana‘i. With no help in sight, crewmember and legendary lifeguard and waterman Eddie Aikau set off on a surfboard to get help. He was never seen again. His commitment to exploration and voyaging, and his deeply-held sense of being Hawaiian (his tie to heritage and culture), however, continue as beacon of light for Polynesian Voyaging Society in its work.

Since that original 1976 voyage, Hokule‘a has traveled to the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and in 1999, Rapa Nui. In her wake, Hokule‘a has fostered cultural pride and inspired a revival of canoe-building, traditional navigation, and voyaging.

Reflecting back on Hokule‘a’s 30 years of voyaging, Hokule‘a navigator Nainoa Thompson sees a vital connection between the past, present, and future: "Our ancestors sailed across a vast ocean, which covers one third of the Earth’s surface. To accomplish this great feat, they needed the vision to see islands over the horizon, the ability to plan intentional voyages of discovery, the discipline to train physically and mentally, the courage to take risks, and a deep sense of aloha to bring the crew together throughout the voyage. These are Hawaiian values, but they are also universal values, which had meaning in the past and continue to resonate today."

This is the message Hokule‘a carries.

The canoe’s legacy is found in the many stories told about her by the people who helped to build, launch, sail, welcome, and care for Hokule‘a. This storytelling has taken many forms, from scholarly documentation to personal journals.

This CD is a collection of the songs and chants about Hokule‘a. It is an expression of the caring, commitment, courage, and achievement that Hokule‘a represents. Those who take the time to listen might be touched by the inspiration and hope that the islands we dare to envision can someday be reached.

This masterpiece of various mele will take you to a discovery of a remarkable voyage as the Hokule‘a continues to sail as a metaphor for everyone's journey through life and changing times.