Members of Virginia Oliver's Tlingit language class, held at the Wrangell Cooperative Association carving shed on Front Street, fashioned tina'a necklaces to give as gifts to the visiting delegation from the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
UPDATE: The vessels have been delayed in Angoon and their arrival in Wrangell is postponed. The new tentative arrival date is Tuesday, June 27.
Next Monday, a nearly four-year journey continues when the Polynesian Voyaging Society lands on Wrangell's shores, bringing the Hawaiian culture to Southeast.
The sailing vessels Hōkūle'a and Hikianalia are scheduled to arrive at approximately 11 a.m. on June 26, coming to the north side of the island. After three days in Wrangell, the boats and crew will continue on their way.
A tentative schedule, mainly weather-dependent, has been set for the visit, with a delegation from the Wrangell Cooperative Association, if possible, paddling out to greet the Hawaiian vessels. They will "parade in front of town, paddling from Petroglyph Beach to Shakes Island," according to a Facebook post by WCA.
Once the larger vessels are moored to the net dock at the Reliance float, the greeters and visitors will paddle in smaller canoes to Shakes Island, said WCA Tribal Administrator Esther Aaltséen Reese. There will be a formal request to come onto Tlingit land and a welcome ceremony. The community is invited to attend and witness the ceremony.
On Tuesday, a casual cultural exchange and potluck will be held at 6 p.m. at the Nolan Center, and the community is invited to attend that event as well. Dishes can be dropped at 5 p.m. and those who want to contribute are asked to call either Christie Jamieson at 907-305-0117, Jana Wright at 907-470-1011 or the WCA office at 907-874-4304.
At the potluck, WCA tribal members will present Polynesian Voyaging Society members with brass tináa necklaces, which were created by members at the WCA carving shed.
"We want to make it as meaningful as possible, to have an outpouring of culture in welcoming in their culture and making spaces available to have that exchange," Reese said in a June 9 interview.
The 62-foot-long Hōkūle'a and the 72-foot Hikianalia will depart either June 29 or 30 depending on the weather, and will continue their voyage of 43,000 miles over the next 47 months, circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean, visiting 36 countries, nearly 100 indigenous territories and 345 ports.
The sojourn started last Sunday morning from Juneau, with stops planned for Angoon, Kake and Petersburg before coming to Wrangell.
Four hundred crew members will come and go throughout the voyage to give crew needed breaks. According to the Hōkūle'a website, the journey will be broken into the following segments:
- June to September 2023: Alaska to British Columbia
- September to November 2023: West Coast of the United States
- November 2023 to February 2024: Mexico, Central America, South America
- February to March 2024: Galapagos to Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
- March to April 2024: Pitcairn Islands, Marquesas Islands, Tuamotus
- April to December 2024: Tahiti, Austral Islands, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga
- December 2024 to May 2025: New Zealand
- May to December 2025: Melanesia and Micronesia
- December 2025 to March 2026: Palau
- March to September 2026: Philippines, China, Taiwan, Okinawa, Japan, South Korea, Hokkaido, Russia
- September to December 2026: Japan, Los Angeles (via ship), Hawai'i
- Spring 2027: Tahiti
Reader Comments(0)