Hawaiki Rising - Hardcover

Sam Low

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1617102008 ISBN 13: 9781617102004

Publisher: Island Heritage Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

Attuned to a world of natural signs – the stars, the winds, the curl of ocean swells - Polynesian explorers navigated for thousands of miles without charts or instruments. They sailed against prevailing winds and currents aboard powerful double canoes to settle the vast Pacific Ocean. And they did this when Greek mariners still hugged the coast of an inland sea and Europe was populated by stone-age farmers. Yet by the turn of the twentieth century, this story had been lost and Polynesians had become an oppressed minority in their own land. Then, in 1975, a replica of an ancient Hawaiian canoe – Hōkūle‘a - was launched to once again sail the ancient star paths and help Hawaiians reclaim pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors. Hawaiki Rising tells this story in the words of the men and women who sailed aboard Hōkūle‘a. They speak of growing up at a time when their Hawaiian culture was in danger of extinction and their future in their own land was uncertain. We join the founders of the Polynesian Voyaging Society as their vision of Hōkūle‘a takes shape in a Honolulu shipyard. We sail on the first voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976;  experience the heartbreaking loss of Eddie Aikau in a courageous effort to save his crewmates when Hōkūle‘a capsized; and are present as new leaders vow to continue sailing to honor Eddie’ life. We are with Nainoa Thompson as he searches the heavens to rediscover ancient star signs and we sail with him as he guides Hōkūle‘a to Tahiti – the first Hawaiian to navigate the Pacific without charts or instruments in a thousand years. When Hokule’a crew member Sam Ka‘ai carved the male ki’i (sculpted figure) that adorns the canoe’s starboard hull, he envisioned modern day Hawaiians in the figure of a blind man reaching to the heavens. “This is an effigy of how we are after so many years of oppression,” Sam tells us. “Blind to our past, we reach up to grasp heaven one more time. The same stars are rising as they did for our fathers for many, many generations. So if you lose your way - remember that you once sailed on your mother’s lap and you were never lost. The stars turned minute by minute, hour by hour, dawn and dusk and you always came home or your kind wouldn't be here. This is an effigy of the Hōkūle‘a experience – the ʻohana wa‘a - the family of the canoe. He is reaching above himself, beyond himself, to the story that has not changed, the forever and ever story. He is showing that we are taking hold of the old story once again.” Hawaiki Rising is the saga of an astonishing revival of indigenous culture by voyagers who took hold of the old story and sailed deep into their ancestral past. (Sam Low)

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Review:

Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Sunday, June 16, 2013

'Hawaiki' chronicles hopes tied to Hokule'a
By Gary Kubota

Sam Low's "Hawaiki Rising: Hokule'a, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance," captures in convincing style the heartbreak, sacrifice and hopes of the crews aboard the historic double-hulled sailing canoe Hokule'a.

The book takes readers well beyond the first Hawaii-Tahiti voyage in 1976 that supported the assertion that Pacific islanders could navigate the open ocean without instruments, relying on signs in nature and the heavens, well before European expeditions to the Americas.

Nainoa Thompson - Hokule'a's navigator

"The vision of Hōkūle'a was conceived in 1973, so the publishing of this book
marks the 40th anniversary of her creation. Sam Low, the author, has sailed
with us on three voyages, written numerous articles and now, after ten years of
work, has finished Hawaiki Rising. This book is an important part of our 'ōlelo,
our history, and it contains the mana of all those who helped create and sail
Hōkūle'a." 

Christina Thompson - author of the Come On shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All - published by Bloomsbury (and now working on a major book for Harper Collins on Polynesia) has this to say:

The pacing is great. A good read. Fast, interesting... I adore the portraits of the various players, including minor ones - this is a huge strength of the book: your intimate knowledge of the people, the details of their own personal histories, how they came together to make this happen, what it meant to each of them. I think that is FANTASTIC and I haven't seen it anywhere else....


Hawaii Book Blog

Hawaiki Rising: Hōkūleʻa, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance tells the story of Hokule'a's creation at a time when Hawaiian culture was almost lost. The book tells Nainoa Thompson's story for the first time. The book is populated by the 'ohana wa'a, the family of the canoe - those men and women who shared the vision of raising distant islands across the sea. For a more in depth synopsis, visit Sam Low's Hawaiki Rising website.

"Got my copy of Hawaiki Rising! Was supposed to be airplane reading but I couldn't wait. Stayed up late reading, fed kids cleaned up and started reading again. It's like I'm transported back in time. I can't explain it. I can't put it down. I'm hearing all these voices coming to life, all their experiences. People I know, I see them in a whole new context!  Makes me want to learn more...

I finished it that same day! It was great. Easy to read, gave voice and details to a story I knew a little bit about."

Kuuleianuhea Awo-Chun
Kumu, wa'a project alaka'i with Kanehunamoku.

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Heritage Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1617102008
• ISBN 13: 9781617102004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 344