As Hōkūleʻa celebrates its 50th birthday, author and educator Marion Lyman-Mersereau reflects on her time as a crew member and the values of ʻonipaʻa (steadfastness), laulima (cooperation), and wiwoʻole (courage) that have shaped the stories she shares about her time voyaging. In this humble offering to mark the occasion, Marion shares what Hōkūleʻa’s past and future mean to her and the community it has inspired.
Looking Back:
Looking back on your time with Hōkūleʻa, is there a moment that really captures the spirit of ʻonipaʻa and strength of community that these voyages have come to represent?
No one moment stands out—so many roll by like the swells on a wind-roughened sea. Laulima is an important value on a canoe. Laulima, cooperation, is essential for the welfare of the common good.
Tava Taupu, the Marquesan on board, took care of me when I was seasick for a few days. We each stood our watch, shared stories, and ate together—our favorite time. We were in a space of approximately 60′ x 15′ for 30 days. (Hōkūleʻa is a faster canoe now—lighter and with more sails.)
Eddie Wen’ Go: A Picture Book, a Play, and a Poem
Your poem “Eddie Wen’ Go II” in the recent Bamboo Ridge Issue 126, captures a profound moment of courage. What did that experience teach you about aloha and the responsibilities we carry for one another?
I believe Eddie intended, as an exceptional lifeguard, to save our lives. He knew the ocean like very few people know it. He shared the gift of his strength and determination. Eddie Aikau’s story is one of wiwoʻole, of courage. Even though wiwoʻole literally means not fearful, itʻs been said that courage isnʻt the absence of fear but the overcoming of fear. Eddieʻs wiwoʻole serves as an inspiration to us all to share what gifts we have with others.
As a teacher and storyteller, how do you weave the lessons of wayfinding and mālama honua into the way you share stories?
Having told the story of my experiences with Hōkūleʻa between 1974 and 1980—over many years through a picture book, a play, and recently a poem—it has become second nature to me. These are just stories that are part of mine and Hawaiʻi’s history.
Hoʻomau:
Hōkūleʻa has become a beacon of cultural revival, environmental stewardship, persistence and hope. How do you envision these values being upheld and expanded by future generations?
I believe Hōkūleʻa is in good hands with the younger generations who have been bombarded from birth about our planet in peril. I believe that time at sea on this very special waʻa, or any of the other many waʻa which have been built since Hōkūleʻa, help to make paʻa the ideas of loving the ocean, the simplicity and beauty of life away from technology and the importance of caring for and respecting others who are different and yet still similar to you. We did not really know the word protocol back in the 70s with the exception of the ʻawa ceremony prior to departure and on arrival. Interestingly, the culture has become richer with each generation since then.
Navigating Future:
What do you hope the next 50 years hold for Hōkūleʻa?
It’s quite amazing when you think about it that the canoe has lasted half a century and made so many voyages, and been AROUND THE WORLD! I am particularly stoked that sooo many women have voyaged since the 1976 and 1980 voyages when a total of only four of us had done that, and now there are so many wāhine navigators AND captains! It is excellent that the Polynesian Voyaging Society is finally acknowledging the talent and leadership capabilities of waʻa wāhine.
“I believe that time at sea on this very special waʻa, or any of the other many waʻa which have been built since Hōkūleʻa, help to make paʻa the ideas of loving the ocean
…
the simplicity and beauty of life away from technology, and the importance of caring for and respecting others who are different and yet still similar to you.”
~
“I believe Hōkūleʻa is in good hands with the younger generations who have been bombarded from birth about our planet in peril.”
…
“the culture has become richer with each generation”
~
Read Marion's full poem here:
Da kāpena nevah like go
he thot he da one get authority
stay choke windy
eight to ten feet in da Kaiwi
but Fasi and Ariyoshi
wen give us lei
dat March day seventy-eight
we wen drink kava
an clap our hands
da crowd wen sing “Hawai‘i Aloha”
an we wen tell a hui hou
den wen trow da dock lines
an sail so fas
pass Waikīkī
da hulls wen gallop up
den down da swells of da Kaiwi
da lashings wen creak
da ocean wen splash
da sky stay clear
da stars stay bright
den at midnight
da kāpena wen yell
“All hands on deck!”
go help bail he tell
den one big swell
wen lif up one hull
an one big gust
make like we just
one leaf on top da ocean
an wen huli da huge canoe
we hang on tight all night
we stay wet
we stay cold
some stay sick
on dis now-not-going Tahiti trip
one guy like paddle da surfboard
foah save da crew
dis Waimea lifeguard
wen rescue hundreds of folks
some malihini some drunk mokes
enykine loss of life
dis Hawaiian like prevent
da kāpena nevah like give consent
he say try wait foah da planes
in da morning light
we hang on tight all night
we hear see feel each swell
dey break white
we stay wet
we stay cold
some stay sick
on dis now-not-going Tahiti trip
da sky stay clear
da stars stay bright
da morning nevah had one flight
we wen drift far from
enykine airplane lane
da lifeguard guy wen ax again
da kāpena wen ax some ada men
den da guy wen tie da board to him
dis guy wen surf huge Waimea
wiwoʻole—no fear
he no like wear da life vest
he no like extra gear
we hold hands say one pule
he wen go on top his knees
an wen paddle away
we hang on tight
now stay light
we still see da swells break white
we stay wet
we little bit warm
some stay sick
on dis now-not-going Tahiti trip
da sky stay clear
da sun stay bright
laydah dat second night
had one flight
wen see da flares we wen shoot
dey circle tree times den blink da lights
laydah we tell da helicoptah pilot
one guy wen leave foah save our crew
he wen paddle away from da canoe
foah go find our rescue
plenny people wen go search
den few weeks laydah we go church
at da beach dat he wen guard
Waimea Bay stay like his backyard
da man stay great who give his life
foah his friends
das from da Good Book
da kahu wen tell
den da bay rise up
wid one big swell
some say Eddie wen go
but seems like he stay
close kine to da bay
“Eddie Wen’ Go II” is published in Bamboo Ridge Issue 126 (Winter 2024). Copyright Marion Lyman-Mersereau.
We hope to have Marion as a guest on the BR Blog again, to share more about the experience and challenges of telling this story in three different formats. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, check out this feature of Marion in June 2024 MidWeek.
Born and raised in Honolulu, of Hawaiian-Chinese ancestry, Marion Lyman-Mersereau is a retired middle school teacher with over forty years as an educator. Outside of the classroom where she taught ethics and government, she has been a yoga teacher, paddling coach, and outdoor education director. She served in the Peace Corps in Palau, Micronesia for two years.
Marion has authored a children’s book, Eddie Wen’ Go: The Story of the Upside-Down Canoe (2008) about her experience on the famous voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa, when it capsized in the Kaiwi channel in 1978. She adapted her book to a play produced at the Hawaiʻi Theater in 2014 and at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Kennedy Theater in January 2022.
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