Nā Kālai Waʻa

Region: Hawai‘i, Moana
Communities: Hawaiian and Pacific Islander
Grants Awarded: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019

Visit Nā Kālai Waʻa on their website

We support Nā Kālai Waʻa (NKW), which provides cultural vessels (voyaging and coastal canoes) to support quality educational experiences and community development and sustainability through programs that focus on marrying traditional ways of knowing and modern ways of learning. Their mission is to protect, perpetuate and honor the Hawaiian traditions and practices of wa‘a (canoe) culture through the Makali‘i voyaging canoe programs, for the past, present, and future generations. The vision for NKW is "He wa‘a he moku, he moku he wa‘a" (our canoe is our island, our island is our canoe). NKW recognizes the kuleana (responsibility) to land resources in order to sustain ocean activities, and the importance of ocean activities in the management of land resources and activities. It is one symbiotic system in Hawai‘i. This is what they mean when they express their vision; the DNA of canoe plant is the same as the DNA of the canoe, which is the same as the DNA in their people.