May 13-May 27, 2006 648 Wharf Street, Lahaina, HI 96761 Toll Free: 1.888.310.1117 or Direct: 1.808.667.9175 Email: info@mauicanoefest.com
To witness the art of canoe building is to start a quest that takes you on a long journey back through time. But for the people of the Pacific it is a symbolic journey that traces their origins, their connectedness and their profound relationship with the ocean.
For them the canoe remains a potent symbol still offering the symbology of life, new horizons and new beginnings... The wa'a brings the dream of hope, abundance and the pursuit of the endless quest for a way into the future.
From Hawai'i in the north to Aotearoa (NZ) in the south,to Majuro and Palau in the western Pacific, Master canoe builders and assistants will carve canoes according to their own cultural traditions.
Using traditional and modern tools you will see them transform solid logs into canoes of great beauty. You will witness the traditional birthing and launching ceremonies as the canoes are symbolically severed from their connection with the land and delivered to kanaloa. So we invite you to join us in the aloha, laughter and toil. Come and join us as we honor these masters and celebrate the diversity and richness of this unique heritage!