In support of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s (PVS) 45,000-mile, four-year sail plan for a Worldwide Voyage (WWV), sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center has opened a Worldwide Voyage exhibit located in the Science On a Sphere global display exhibit space.
In support of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s (PVS) 45,000-mile, four-year sail plan for a Worldwide Voyage (WWV), sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center has opened a Worldwide Voyage exhibit located in the Science On a Sphere global display exhibit space.
In the exhibit, visitors are welcomed by five large display panels that feature information on the two canoes (Hokule‘a and Hikianalia), the WWV mission, the sail plan, its goals, and a PVS timeline of their past voyages. The panels lay out the challenge for the voyage to be a catalyst for positive change in Hawaii by fostering learning and nurturing relationships worldwide.
The exhibit panels are accompanied by a new Science On a Sphere data set which captures the sail plan on the global display system coupled with the video “Hokule‘a’s Worldwide Voyage: Island Wisdom, Ocean Connections, Global Lessons” produced by ‘Oiwi TV. This production creates a video tapestry of the motivation behind the WWV.
The WWV exhibit was created by the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center exhibit team, and Navigator in Residence Chad Kalepa Baybayan, with support provided by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and University of Hawaii. Baybayan is captain and navigator of the Hawaiian deep-sea voyaging canoes Hokule‘a, Hawai‘iloa, and Hokualaka‘i. He has been an active participant in the Polynesian voyaging renaissance since 1975 and has sailed on all major voyages of the Hokule‘a and Hawai‘iloa throughout the South Pacific and the Pacific Rim.
“With this exhibit, our hope is that the two canoes are viewed as floating classrooms bridging culture, tradition and indigenous knowledge with modern technology. They become models of sustainability imitating life on islands,” he said.