Native Hawaiian Navigator, Oceans Environmentalist, and Storyteller Nainoa Thompson at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) *Cancelled*

Below is the link to the 6-minute Moananuiākea voyage video, “Way of the Navigator.”

The traditional Hawaiian canoe, Hōkūleʻa, just arrived in Puget Sound from Hawaiʻi. Hōkūleʻa will soon be on its way to Alaska to start a 4-year, 43,000-mile voyage to amplify the vital importance of oceans and indigenous knowledge while circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean. Join the Sno-Isle Foundation and the 2023 Trudy Sundberg Lecture Series on Saturday, May 6, for an evening to hear about the voyage from Nainoa Thompson, a Native Hawaiian master navigator, environmentalist, cultural revivalist, educator, storyteller, and president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. On behalf of Nainoa, we extend a special invitation to Native Hawaiians and members of the Salish tribes to hear about the upcoming Moananuiākea – Voyage of Earth that will make its way back to Puget Sound this summer.

Nainoa Thompson is best known as the first Hawaiian in over 600 years to navigate two double-hulled canoes (the Hōkūleʻa and the Hawaiʻiloa) from Hawaiʻi to many places globally using ancient Polynesian art of navigation, without the aid of western instruments. Inspired by his kūpuna (elders), Nainoa has dedicated his life to exploring the deep meaning of voyaging, empowering youth to protect the earth through education and storytelling, and bringing awareness to global environmental issues due to climate change. Nainoa will be speaking with Whidbey students at Coupeville High School on Friday.

Nainoa has earned numerous honors for his work, including the Unsung Hero of Compassion, awarded by His Holiness XIV Dalai Lama, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, and he holds the first Scholar in Ocean Residency at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

The free public event starts at 7:30 p.m. at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), Langley. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7 p.m. Overflow seating will be provided in WICA’s Zech Hall. The event will be recorded and accessible for later viewing on the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation website. Read more about the Trudy Sundberg Lecture Series.