Crew Profile: Keoni Kuoha

PVS Member Since
HOMETOWN:
Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
PRIMARY DUTY:
Cultural Protocol Specialist
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:
Education Specialist; Watch Captain
WORLDWIDE VOYAGE LEGS SAILED:
2017 Tahiti, Leg 9: Auckland
From Waimānalo, Keoni first sailed aboard Hōkūleʻa from Kahoʻolawe to Oʻahu as a high school senior. He has also served as crew member on multiple voyages through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Micronesia. He currently serves as the executive director of Papahana Kuaola, a mālama ʻāina learning organization based in Heʻeia, Oʻahu.
Voyaging brings Keoni inner calm and a greater sense of rythym and connection with the world around him. It enables him to see in new ways and move in parallel to his kūpuna. In the larger scheme of things, Keoni sees Hōkūleʻa as a vehicle for positive change, a space for inspiration, and a powerful symbol of the Hawaiian nation. He sees the potential for the Worldwide Voyage to change global mentalities towards our shared kuleana (responsibility), for Island Earth, to improve our relationships with each other, and to clarify our commitment to the well-being of the world around us.
While out to sea, Keoni misses his loved ones and the comforts of home: a bed, a warm, freshwater shower, and a toilet. A day or two before making landfall, he tends to get ʻono for a big, juicy hamburger and crisp fries. While back on land he misses the constant rock and sway of the ocean.
Voyaging brings Keoni inner calm and a greater sense of rythym and connection with the world around him. It enables him to see in new ways and move in parallel to his kūpuna. In the larger scheme of things, Keoni sees Hōkūleʻa as a vehicle for positive change, a space for inspiration, and a powerful symbol of the Hawaiian nation. He sees the potential for the Worldwide Voyage to change global mentalities towards our shared kuleana (responsibility), for Island Earth, to improve our relationships with each other, and to clarify our commitment to the well-being of the world around us.
While out to sea, Keoni misses his loved ones and the comforts of home: a bed, a warm, freshwater shower, and a toilet. A day or two before making landfall, he tends to get ʻono for a big, juicy hamburger and crisp fries. While back on land he misses the constant rock and sway of the ocean.
Keoni Kuoha: Related Posts
-
Crew Blog | Keoni Kuoha: Fulfilled by Our Coming Together
Crewmember Keoni Kuoha describes the crew's meaningful four day visit on Nuku Hiva and the community welcome that met them there. -
Crew Blog | Keoni Kuoha: Arrival to the Marquesas Islands
Crewmember Keoni Kuoha describes the crew's significant sighting of Fatu Hiva, complete with whales, seabirds and a display of lightning. -
Crew Blog | Keoni Kuoha: Taka and His Lineal Knowledge
In Rapa Nui, Keoni Kuoha met Taka Hei, an accomplished fisher who learned his craft from his family's long lineal line of fishers. -
Crew Blog | Keoni Kuoha: Learning and Knowing
Crewmember Keoni Kuoha reflects on how different forms of learning and knowledge frame how we see and interact with the world.