Hokule'a: A Field Trip. A Guide for Upper-Elementary Teachers.

This document is a packet designed to be used in conjunction with a visit to the Hokule'a, a famous voyaging canoe that is usually docked at the Hawaii Maritime Center in Honolulu Harbor. The material focuses on the canoe itself and on the skills needed to sail it. The packet includes background information on the Hokule'a, basic terms, generalizations, objectives, and suggested activities (some with handout masters) to use before, during, and after the excursion. The section on the background of the canoe discusses various theories of migration of the original Polynesians and population origins. Attempts to prove the seaworthiness of various types of vessels lead to the building and sailing of the Hokule'a. The canoe has made three major voyages: (1) from Hawaii to Tahiti and return in 1976; (2) again in 1980; and (3) the Voyage of Rediscovery from 1985 to 1987, when the canoe sailed throughout Polynesia. The first voyage demonstrated that a double hulled canoe could be sailed over long distances entirely without using any Western navigational technology. The second voyage added knowledge about noninstrument navigation in Polynesia, and was the first canoe voyage in centuries to be guided between Hawaii and Tahiti by a Hawaiian. The Voyage of Rediscovery demonstrated the feasibility of sailing a double hulled canoe, modeled after canoes used by ancient mariners, from west to east against the direction of the prevailing tradewinds by taking advantage of periodic wind shifts caused by low pressure systems. Activities sections include materials, time, and procedures over a 5-day period. (DK)