Our Waʻa
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Hi'i Alo, Hi'i Kua
"Makahiki is a time to reflect on the season behind us and prepare for the one ahead. In 2025, we continued to care for our waʻa and ʻāina, train crew, and welcome new generations into our programs. We also said aloha to our beloved kūpuna and teacher, Uncle Shorty Bertelmann. Though we miss him deeply, his ʻike, vision, continue to guide our work. As we move forward, I am committed to holding steady the work that Shorty, Clay, their brothers, our Makaliʻi ʻohana kūpuna, and so many others have shaped for decades. Nā Kālai Waʻa remains devoted to the training of our people, the restoration of our practices, and the responsibility to cultivate provision—food, knowledge, safety, and community—for generations to come."
Chadd 'Onohi Paishon
Guided by Papa Mau’s teachings, Makaliʻi and our community have successfully voyaged to Tahiti, the Marquesas, Micronesia, and most recently Mokumanamana (Necker Island) with the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation.
Makaliʻi
Makaliʻi was the dream of Uncle Clay Bertelmann, founder of Nā Kālai Waʻa. She was built in just nine months in a Parker Ranch Quonset hut in Waiemi wahi. Makaliʻi is a 54-foot waʻa kaulua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) with a single mast. On February 4, 1995, she was born in a launching ceremony at Kawaihae, her home. Just a month later, in March, Makaliʻi set off on her maiden voyage to Tahiti.
Alakaʻi
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