Why did the prehistoric Polynesians sail to Hawaiʻi? Perhaps these voyages were undertaken for adventure, out of cultural pride, or even for raiding and conquest, trading goods, or forced exile. We will never know the reasons why, but we can investigate how it was achieved. Various ideas have been proposed, with two central hypotheses emerging to explain Polynesian voyaging to Hawaiʻi: either it was accidental or it was intentional. Hawaiian oral tradition records tales of ancient navigators traveling to and from Tahiti, providing a basis for intentional voyaging. David Malo, a 19th-century Native Hawaiian historian, documented genealogical chants telling the story of Moʻikeha, who voyaged back and forth between Hawaiʻi and Kahiki. Native Hawaiians believe these chants have a historical basis and to some extent recount the history of their culture. To test the intentional voyaging hypothesis, Ben Finney, Tommy Holmes, and Herb Kawainui Kane of the Polynesian Voyaging Society built a modern, full-scale replica of a waʻa kaulua, a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe. The 20-meter canoe was named Hōkūleʻa, the "Star of Gladness", deriving its name from Arcturus, the guiding star of Hawaiian navigators. In 1976, a crew of 17 sailed 2,500 miles (4,020 km) from Maui to Tahiti in approximately 31 days, guided only by the traditional, instrumentless wayfinding techniques of Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug. Since her original voyage, Hōkūleʻa has completed at least nine more voyages to Micronesia, Polynesia, Japan, Canada, and the United States. In 2007, Hawaiian oral histories found additional support when ancient basalt adzes used for constructing canoes in the Tuamotu Archipelago were traced to the Hawaiian island of Kahoʻolawe. The westernmost point of the island of Kahoʻolawe is known as the Lae O Kealaikahiki (Point of the Pathway to Tahiti). This area is thought to have been a ceremonial launching site in the 13th century for voyages between Hawaiʻi and Tahiti.
Eddie Aikau
Memorial plate dedicated to Eddie Aikau on the Hōkūleʻa
Hōkūleʻa capsized in 1978 southwest of the Island of Molokaʻi. Crew member Eddie Aikau, a Native Hawaiian champion lifeguard and surfer, tried to paddle a surfboard to the island of Lānaʻi to find help and save his crew. The crew was later rescued, but Aikau was never seen again. Because of his sacrifice, Aikau is considered one of Hawaii's greatest contemporary heroes, and his selfless act of courage is often portrayed as a symbol of the "Aloha spirit".
A list of open tasks and a proposed outline for expansion can be found on Talk:Hokulea/temp. Everyone is welcome to make suggestions and help improve the article.
References
Coleman 2001; Collerson & Weisler 2007; Dames & Moore 1997; Holmes 1993; Kyselka 1987; Lewis 1994; Lindo & Mower 1980
Outreach
The Obento Musubi has begun updating both the invite and welcome templates. The templates have been moved into template space with shorter names. To use them, simply type {{Hawaii invite}} on the talk page of an editor who might want to join the project, or {{Hawaii welcome}} on the talk page of a new member. These templates are one essential tool for recruiting new members, so please make use of them in coordination with either your personal watchlist or in combination with the project watchlist. If you see a non-member making good edits to multiple Hawaii-related articles, try to combine the template with a personal message on their talk page inviting them to join the project.
Project template
The Obento Musubi has also been working on redesigning the project template, but for now, this work is mostly confined to Template:WPHawaii/sandbox. If you run across a strange looking template on the talk page, this is due to experimentation on the live template which in hindsight, was a mistake. (To fix it, simply make a null edit: click edit this page and then click save page without making any changes to the talk page. Leave the edit summary blank.) It is unclear how much the template should deviate from standards currently in use. Generally, project templates should appear uniform in design, although many projects have added project-specific icons for their task forces and work groups. The template still needs a B-Class checklist and FL-Class assessment criteria.
Member interview
Part three of an extended interview with Newsletter founder The Obento Musubi (see part one and two).
I believe the agreement they reached was a reasonable one. When editing the list, I, too, noticed many words that many mainlanders would not be familiar with. I believe that the words now on the list are fine, because they're educational and informative to mainlanders but they have also become assimilated into the English language (at least, they have in the isles). It's a great idea to split the list into two. My only fear is that the list would be extremely short. However, if it's feasible, then I say, let's go for it!
Looking ahead at the topic of December's newsletter, the Hawaiian plate lunch is a microcosm of the ethnic diversity of Hawaiʻi. The article should investigate the intertwining history of foreign immigration, life on the plantation, and even its culinary contributions to Hawaiian Pidgin. Have you read Rachel Laudan's The Food of Paradise?
I'm a sucker for plate lunches, and I would eat one everyday if I had the choice. The article is very short right now, and it would be great if we could expand the article at least tenfold. If it's possible, I'd also like to see some infoboxes go on the page. You are correct regarding ethnic diversity. Plate lunches symbolize the diversity in the islands. There are items that come from all over the world. Rice is definitely an Asian staple, and you can have chicken katsu from Japan, chow mein noodles from China, or meat jun from Korea. I think it would be really interesting to look at how spelling differences occurred. For example, the Korean dish is very commonly referred to in the islands as "meat jun", yet according to the article, its proper spelling is "jeon". Also, taegu, a Korean side dish common in the islands, seems to me to be nonexistent in Korea. The article on Wikipedia redirects to Daegu, a Korean city. Sadly, no, I haven't read The Food of Paradise. I do know it would probably make my mouth water more than it already is!
Articles needing attention
Trivia expert Tbsdy lives (formerly Ta bu shi da yu) has commented on the procedure for dealing with trivia sections on the project. Please take a moment to read his recommendations. Three simple steps are required to deal with trivia sections:
Remove unsourced material from the article and place it on the talk page with a request for sourcing
If the trivia is sourced, try to merge it into an existing section
For trivial material that cannot be merged, place it on the talk page
In October, WolterBot identified 16 articles with trivia sections. As of November, 11 articles remain tagged.
Plate lunch - from serving hungry immigrants straight out of the plantation lunch wagon to today's local menus, plate lunches are Hawaii's folk cuisine with an Asian twist. It all begins with "two scoop" rice, beef, fish (Ahi poke, lomi lomi salmon), and/or chicken or pork (kalua pork, pork lau lau) and a side of macaroni salad. Don't forget the haupia. Ono grinds.
