Polynesian Cultural Center president Von D. Orgill has announced that donor contributions have enabled the popular visitor attraction to begin construction on a $2.65 million hälau wa’a in its Hawaiian village, with the official groundbreaking set for November 6. The hälau wa’a will be a cooperative effort between the PCC and BYU-Hawaii’s Jonathan Näpela Center for Hawaiian Language and Cultural Studies.

When the expansion is completed, tentatively scheduled for June 2008, the hälau wa’a or canoe learning compound will become the permanent berth of the Iosepa, BYU-Hawaii’s 57-foot twin-hulled traditional Hawaiian sailing canoe, when the vessel is not on the water.

“The Hawaiian culture is our host culture. Preserving and sharing it with the world is key to what we do at PCC. Housing the Iosepa in the Hawaiian village is a natural match,” said President Orgill, who noted site preparation is already underway and that the hälau will be big enough to “properly display the canoe, and has plenty of room for guests to view and appreciate it.”

He stressed that BYUH students will also use the site. “The Iosepa is, in effect, a floating classroom.”

“I felt it was really important to be in the Hawaiian village to complement the programs they have there. As the kanaka mäoli [indigenous people] in this area, we owed it to our ancestors to help strength the kahu or foundation of this place. I kept thinking of a lot of the old people who were here, and their relation with the ocean. It was so important, so this was really out of respect and to give back to them for what they’ve done,” responded William K. “Uncle Bill” Wallace III, director of the BYUH Hawaiian Studies program.

He described the Iosepa’s mana or spiritual essence as “very powerful. We will ensure that all the proper protocol is followed during the construction of the hälau, so that it will be culturally acceptable and at the same time, be something that will last. It’s not only for PCC visitors, but for the Hawaiian students and the community.”

Wallace said the new hälau wa’a will be a “nice secure place that can meet the physical care needs of the canoe, and at the same time allow us the access to teach our classes in a place where we can run the drills we need to do, and share the canoe with millions of visitors.”

He recalled that discussions about an appropriate site for the hälau wa’a have been going on for several years. “After more thought and prayer, I had a strong feeling that it should be in the Hawaiian village. We also wanted to explore all of the options in terms of using native Hawaiian materials to build the canoe house, find out what resources were available — where the ohi’a logs and pili grass for thatching would come from; so actually it was a good opportunity for us.”

“Once we made contact with Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, we really realized that a lot of the native Hawaiian materials that we wanted to use were very difficult to get. For example, if we were to move forward in harvesting the 80-plus ohi’a logs we needed, we would deplete a major area of Kamehameha Schools’ supplies on the Big Island.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we’re going to build a traditional A-frame style hälau with laminated wood instead of ohi’a logs. We’re also considering the growing and propagating of native Hawaiian building materials in the surrounding area,” he continued. “I’d like to think we’re going to help stimulate the planting of these trees and grass, of bringing back some of these natural [building material] plants. We’d like to be a part of that, too.”

Wallace pointed out that a small group of PCC and BYUH officials “already had an initial blessing” before site preparation began. The groundbreaking ceremony, however, is set for November 6th so Ira A. Fulton and Mark Willes can attend:

“They’ve been major contributors to not just the hälau wa’a, but Hawaiian Studies in general since the beginning. When money is given with the kind of aloha from people like Fulton and Willes, we have kuleana — the responsibility — to handle that in the right way.”

He added that additional funds are still being raised “for the ongoing maintenance of the canoe and hälau wa’a, but I think we’re well on our way.”

“We’re very thankful for what has happened. Once the canoe moves from here to PCC, I believe we’ll see more active involvement with our students,” Wallace continued. He also noted for the past several years the Iosepa has been berthed in a BYUH field behind the women’s dormitories, where master carver Kawika Eskaran has been carefully drying out the canoe hulls and applying 24 coats of marine epoxy. “Now, it’s beautiful, because you can see all of the natural wood.”

Asked what ceremonies might be held when the hälau wa’a is completed, Wallace replied, “That’s the time the Iosepa is scheduled to be sailing. We’re planning on going back to the Big Island again; once back in Lä’ie, we’ll pull Iosepa out of the water, wash it down, and then put it in its new home.”

“What’s been really special about this is to recognize that the canoe is going to the Hawaiian village, and we’ve given the responsibility to Raymond Mokiao [the village manager] and ‘Uncle’ Cy Bridges at the Center to basically lead the way in terms of Hawaiian protocol and what needs to be done on that side in preparation for the canoe house. We see that as their kuleana,” Wallace said.

He also emphasized, “Iosepa was never meant to be a canoe that belonged only to Hawaiian Studies. We always saw it as being something for reaching out to the entire community.”

“The other thing I’ve always stressed is that this will strengthen the Hawaiian village in a lot of ways, as well as the relationship between the Polynesian Cultural Center and Brigham Young University Hawai’i, in terms of its educational value for all of the people and students.”

“The most important thing is that we’re Hawaiians, kanaka mäoli; and the most critical thing is how we teach our students. What kind of image do we portray to them, as teachers, as members of Hawaiian Studies? Right now, it’s even more special because both Kamoa’e Walk and Kawika recently had long-distance sailing experience to Micronesia with the Höküle’a and the Alingano Maisu. They can share their experiences, and take it to another level.”

“Our coming together will be a special time in the history of BYU-Hawai’i and the Cultural Center.”

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