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"Makaliʻi doesnt belong to any one person, yes we built her and we are the guardians of her, but she doesnt belong to us. What we hope to do over the years of training and teaching is to have people that can take up the responsibility to take care of this canoe after Iʻm gone. She doesnʻt belong to any one person, she belongs to everybody."
Clay Bertelmann
Holokai Photo Gallery
Holokai began as a Kamehameha Schools Kūlia I Ka Pono Program, inspired by our early student initiatives from the 1990s—the same roots that led to the creation of the voyaging canoe Makaliʻi. These programs laid the foundation for Makaliʻi’s 25+ years of education, shaping many of today’s community leaders. Today, Holokai continues that legacy by partnering with schools for yearlong experiences that culminate in student sails aboard Makaliʻi. We also engage the wider community through educational booths. In addition to Makaliʻi, we now use several of our smaller, newer waʻa—Mauloa, Hokuliʻiliʻi, Lauhoe, and Alakaʻi—to expand hands-on learning opportunities and deepen community connections across age groups and skill levels. E nānā mai — Click the link below to watch a video from the very beginnings of our student education programs. He waʻa he moku, He moku he waʻa.
2023 Program Statistics
83
Youth Participants
15
Native Hawaiian Youth Participants
240
Adult/Kūpuna Participants
1454
Total Participants