Nā Mea Kanu no ke Kūkulu Waʻa
Ma mua o ka hiki ʻana mai o nā haole i Hawaiʻi, ua hana ʻia nā mea hana, nā pono, a me nā waʻa a pau mai nā mea kanu a me nā pōhaku i loaʻa ma ke kūlohelohe, no ka mea, ʻaʻohe ʻoihana hana nui i kēlā wā. ʻO ka hapanui o nā mea kanu i hoʻohana ʻia no ke kūkulu waʻa, he mau mea kupu ʻōiwi i ulu ma Hawaiʻi nei, ʻaʻole i loaʻa ma nā wahi ʻē aʻe.
ʻOiai he liʻiliʻi nā mea kanu i lawe ʻia mai e nā kūpuna, he nui nō ko lākou waiwai i ka hana waʻa. Ma waho aʻe o kekahi mau mea ʻokoʻa, ʻaʻole i mahi ʻia nā mea kanu ʻōiwi, akā, ua ʻohi ʻia mai nā wao o nā ulu lāʻau ʻōiwi. ʻO nā mea kanu i lawe ʻia mai, ua mahi ʻia ma nā ʻāina haʻahaʻa, kokoke i kahi e noho ai nā kānaka.
I ka Nahele ka hoʻomaka o ka Waʻa
Ma muli o ka pāhana wela mālie, ka nui o ka ua, a me ka momona o ka lepo, he wahi kūpono ka pae ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi no nā mea kanu a me nā holoholona. Eia naʻe, no ka mea, ʻoi aku ma mua o 2,000 mile ka mamao mai nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe, pono i nā ʻano ola ke lele a i ʻole ke lana ma luna o ke kai e hiki mai ai i ʻaneʻi.
A hiki i ka hiki ʻana mai o ke kanaka, he liʻiliʻi wale nō nā mea i hiki mai a paʻa ko lākou noho ʻana. I loko o nā miliona makahiki, ua ulu aʻe kēia mau mea kanu a me nā holoholona ʻōiwi mua i nā ʻano kūloko he nui. I loko o kēia honua i hoʻokaʻawale ʻia akā i pili paʻa, ua ulu mai kekahi kaulahao ola e pili loa ana kekahi i kekahi. Ua palena ka hoʻokūkū, a ua hoʻoikaika ʻia ke ola ma muli o kēia pili paʻa.
Ma ka ʻike Hawaiʻi, he wahi kapu nā nahele ʻāina kiʻekiʻe, ʻaʻole hoʻi he wahi e noho mau ai ke kanaka. He ʻāina ia e komo ai ke kanaka me ke kumu kūpono, me ka haʻahaʻa a me ka mahalo nui. Ua ʻike nō nā kūpuna he kuleana koʻikoʻi kā nā nahele i ka holo ʻana o ka wai, a ʻo ka wai nō ke kumu o ke ola.
Ua ʻike ʻia hoʻi he naʻauao ko nā nahele; a inā e hōʻino ʻia, hiki nō iā lākou ke pane—i kekahi manawa me ka ikaika, a i kekahi manawa mālie a lohi hoʻi. No laila, ʻo ka hōʻino ʻana i ka nahele, he hopena koʻikoʻi nō ia no nā kānaka e noho ana ma kai o ia wahi.
Nā Kanu ʻŌiwi a me Nā Kanu Kūloko i Hoʻohana ʻia no ke Kūkulu ʻana i ka Waʻa Hawaiʻi
Na nā kumu lāʻau a me nā mea kanu kūloko o Hawaiʻi i hāʻawi i nā kānaka Hawaiʻi i nā mea hana i loaʻa ʻole ma ko lākou ʻāina kūpuna. Ua ʻae kēia mau mea i ka ulu ʻana o nā ʻano hana hou, a ua kōkua i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i ke ʻano kū hoʻokahi o ke waʻa Hawaiʻi kuʻuna.
Koa is the wood most preferred for Hawaiian canoe building. Because of its abundance and availability, Hawaiians were able to carve canoes with solid hulls ranging from about 10 feet to over 100 feet in length.
I ka makahiki 1792, ua kākau ʻo Archibald Menzies, he kānaka ʻimi lāʻau ma luna o ka moku o Kapena Vancouver, i kāna huakaʻi i loko o nā nahele koa o ke ahupuaʻa ʻo Kealakekua ma Kona Hema, mokupuni ʻo Hawaiʻi.
"O nā kumu lāʻau nui loa e kū ana i loko o kēia nahele ākea, ua ʻike au i kekahi ʻano hou o ka minosa, ʻo ia ka koa. Ua ana au i ʻelua o lākou kokoke i ko mākou ala; ʻo kekahi he ʻumikūmāhiku kapuaʻi ka puni, a ʻo kekahi he ʻumikūmāwalu kapuaʻi, me nā kumu pololei e piʻi ana i kanahā a i ʻole kanalima kapuaʻi ke kiʻekiʻe.
I ko mākou holomua ʻana aku, ua nui aʻe ka piha o ka nahele i kēia mau kumu koa ma mua o lalo, kahi i ʻoki ʻia ai e nā kamaʻāina ma nā ʻaoʻao ʻelua o ke ala."
Nā Kanu Waʻa I Hoʻolawe ʻia Mai
Na nā poʻe hoʻokele moana Polenekia mua i lawe mai i nā mea kanu a me nā holoholona i kōkua nui i ko lākou ola ʻana. Ua hoʻololi ʻia ke ʻano o ka ʻāina i ka lawe ʻia mai o kēia mau mea, a me ka wehe ʻana o ka nahele a me nā kahawai no ka mahiʻai.
Hōʻike nā moʻolelo ʻeli honua i ka nalowale koke ʻana o nā ʻano mea ola kūloko he nui ma hope iho o ka hiki ʻana mai o kēia poʻe mua. Eia naʻe, ua ʻike nā mamo o ia poʻe i ka pono e komo pū ai i ke kaulahao ola o kēia pae ʻāina i mea e ola ai. Pono nō hoʻi lākou e pili paʻa a hilinaʻi pū me nā mea ola ʻē aʻe e noho ana ma luna a puni hoʻi o kēia mau mokupuni.
Ma o kēia pili ʻana a me ke kūlana pili ʻokoʻa, ua lilo lākou i poʻe Hawaiʻi.
