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Communities and Partnership
The beauty of the wa'a (canoe) is that it allows each person to find his or her own path, or to seek the specific roles and responsibilities that fit who they are as individuals. The waʻa is a reflection of community, of combining strengths and drawing on the individual talents of members of diverse communities to complete the tasks at hand.
Nā Hoa Kaiāulu - Community Partnerships
In the beginning, under the guidance of Captain Clayton Bertelmann, five groups came together, combining their various areas of expertise, to support the building of Hawai'i Islandʻs first double-hulled canoe.
These groups were: Nā Kālai Wa'a, Punana Leo o Waimea, the Kupuna Program of the DOE, Hālau Hula
Ke'alaonamaupua, and Nā Koa o Pu'ukohola.
Since these early beginnings Nā Kālai Waʻa has further expanded its partnerships to include many other community organizations including: Nā Pua Noʻeau, Kamehameha Schools, the YMCA of Waimea, Friends of Kohala Preservation, Polynesia Voyaging Society, ʻOhana Waʻa, Hawaii Community College, the Kohala Center
***If you are interested in partnering with Nā Kālai Waʻa, please contact us via email or call our office***
Ke Kaiāulu - the Community We Serve
Makaliʻi was built to provide our community with a canoe that could be easily accessed for educational purposes as well
as community development. Nā Kālai Waʻa firmly holds to these ideologies and strives to maintain our relationships and commitments to the following communities i ola kākou a pau
(so that we all may continue to thrive).
• Moku o Keawe, Hawaii Island – the community which supports and sustains NKW and Makali’i on a daily basis.
• Hawaii nei, the Hawaiian Island Chain - linking our voyaging canoe communities via the channels between our islands, the traditional seaways upon which our ancestors
voyaged daily providing trade and cultural continuance.
• Moananuiākea, the greater Pacific Ocean - community of Pacific Islanders and native peoples linked to us through our common ancestries and cultures of voyaging and canoes.
