Post #384520 by Toataiaha on Wed, Jun 4, 2008 12:37 AM

International Festival of Canoes: Part 1

"" Every year Maui showcases the tradition of canoe building at its International Festival of Canoes.

We take you there and visit with a respected elder from New Zealand who makes the trip every year.

The chainsaws are buzzing with life, a notably different sound from canoe building in the past. But these men from around the Pacific, in New Zealand, Samoa, Micronesia and Hawaii, are working to complete a new canoe in just two weeks.

Of the many crews and master carvers who come to the festival, only Aotearoa's Hekenukumai Busby, has made the trip for 10 years straight.

His reason for coming is the gratitude he feels for Nainoa Thompson and the Hawaiians who helped revitalize celestial navigation in Aotearoa. ""

http://tinyurl.com/3nug9j

In the heart of my soul . I would that I had been born in Celtic lands
But I was born here . a Celt in Maori lands . And my heart is content

[ Edited by: Toataiaha 2008-06-04 00:39 ]