Rain and cold temperatures forecast for Juneau, Alaska, have postponed Hokule‘a’s departure for its Moananuiakea Voyage until Saturday.

However, the Global Launch ceremony is still scheduled for today, and will now take place at the University of Alaska Southeast Recreation Center rather than the formerly scheduled location at Auke Bay, said Hokule‘a captain Mark Ellis.

The launch ceremony will include cultural protocol, dances, chants and prayers from the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native communities, providing a ceremonial send-off for the Hokule‘a’s crew as they count down the final days before their four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific.

The Hokule‘a made land in Auke Bay this past Saturday, marking the end of its three-week Heritage Sail that served as a pre-voyage to the Moananuiakea Voyage. Along the way, crew members engaged with the local communities, exchanging cultural knowledge with one another, Ellis said.

“Those exchanges with the people were incredible,” he said. “But now, experiencing it firsthand, there’s a lot of similarities.”

Ellis identified similarities in cultural values between the Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives such as their regard for their elders. He also emphasized the Alaska Natives’ commitment to caring for the Hokule‘a crew as guests.

“They really took us in as their own and treated us as their own until we left,” he said. “With the canoe, one of our values is to malama each other and to malama the canoe. And that really showed us how these communities malama or care for us.”

Community members also expressed their gratitude for the Hokule‘a’s visit and told Ellis that it sparked significant cultural engagement from their youth. Many took the initiative to learn cultural dances and songs in preparation for the Hokule‘a’s arrival with the intention to properly welcome them into the community, they told Ellis.

The Alaskan communities also taught the crew about their various clans and demonstrated how they gather food such as berries and salmon during the changing seasons, he said. Meanwhile, crew members shared their knowledge about voyaging and wayfinding, while sharing the message behind the Moananuiakea Voyage — to better the Earth for future generations.

A new crew arrived in Juneau on Wednesday to replace those who navigated the last leg of the Heritage Sail, Ellis said. Voyaging in 30-degree weather with 15-knot winds has been one of the most notable adjustments for the crew, despite having undergone training to prepare for the colder temperatures, he said.

The Moananuiakea Voyage Global Launch ceremony is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hawaii time, and will be livestreamed at hokulea.com. While the Hokule‘a’s departure is scheduled for Saturday, crew members will continue monitoring the weather to determine the best day and time for the canoe’s departure.

HOKULE‘A

Global Launch Ceremony

>> What: Moananuiakea Voyage Global Launch Ceremony

>> When: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. HST

>> Where: Livestream at hokulea.com

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.