www.montereycountynow.com MAY 21-27, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 “I like to talk about respecting the ocean. I also want to talk about seeking beauty in the ocean, of having thankfulness, gratitude, honor our founders and those who have been paddling for 40 years.” Hi’ilani ’O Ke Kai is a cultural home for Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander traditions, founded in 1984. But those traditions—chiefly hula dancing and outrigger canoeing—date back thousands of years. Beginning as early as 2000 BCE, the Lapita people set out from Taiwan in wooden canoes into the Pacific Ocean. They paddled thousands of miles, for weeks at a time, with no land features visible on the horizon. They carried passengers and goods, and began settling in the islands of Samoa and Tonga, and from there continued exploring the islands of Polynesia, eventually including Hawaii. There were no maps, no compasses—just an understanding of the sea, the stars and a trust that most of us modern GPSusers can only guess at. Outrigger canoes—easily identifiable for the outrigger floats lashed with rope parallel to the canoe hull— remained a part of Polynesian life for centuries. Then colonization began, and in the 18th century, the use of outriggers began to diminish. A range of cultural practices came under attack. By 1830, Hawaii’s own ruler, Queen Regent Ka‘ahumanu, under the influence of Protestant missionaries came to view hula as a pagan ritual, a threat. She banned the Hawaiian dance form. In 1896, the Hawaiian language was banned. But the customs—the language, the dance, the familiarity with the sea—never went away. Today, current generations of Polynesians are continuing to cultivate and learn these traditions, and the Polyenesian community in Monterey County continues lifting them up and sharing them with a growing number of dancers, paddlers and friends from all backgrounds. They do it year-round, including in May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, when Hi’ilani ’O Ke Kai hosts its annual Hoe Wa’a outrigger race. Before that race and every race, and before every paddle, the group will circle up for a pule. “You want to earn the respect of the people you are paddling with that day,” Delgado says. “You want to be a good ancestor to the people who will follow you.” Local Hawaiian cultural groups are deeply attuned to lineage— paying respect to those who came before, and setting an example for those who will come after. It happens literally, with traditions and lessons handed down from blood relatives, and also in the broader ohana, or family, that is welcoming. It can feel in this community like everyone is an Auntie or an Uncle, but these titles are earned through knowledge, teaching and respect. Manley Pōmaika‘i Bush Sr., known as Uncle Manley, blessed the canoes at the start of the outrigger season this year. Bush himself is more likely to be found playing ukulele or singing in his band, Ho’omana, but Hi’ilani ’O Ke Kai includes music, bringing together two core cultural traditions—outrigger canoeing and hula. Manley Bush’s daughters, Marleen Bush and Marlo Kaleookalani Lualemana, grew up with hula lessons in their childhood in Hawaii, although Trained outrigger canoe crews average 6-7mph. “Good crews can hit up to 8mph, and with the right conditions and swell, you can reach 9mph,” says Manuel Delgado, a past paddle representative for Hi’ilani ’O Ke Kai. Below, members of the Hi’ilani ’O Ke Kai Outrigger Canoe Center during a rec paddle, open to the general public, at Del Monte Beach in Monterey.
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