50 years ago today, Hōkūleʻa’s maiden voyage to Tahiti ended with a greeting by an estimated 17,000 people at Papeʻete. Guided by Master Navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia, this was the first voyage of a Polynesian long-distance deep-sea voyaging canoe in 600 years. What began as a bold vision to prove the voyaging achievements of our ancestors became a defining moment for Hawaiʻi and all of Polynesia.