In March 1986, Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara dedicated and handed over a traditional Fijian canoe to the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Honolulu.
On Wednesday, April 2, 1986, The Fiji Times reported that Ratu Mara had dedicated the canoe, locally known as a camakau, in Hawaii.
The vessel was built by a group of boatbuilders from Kabara in Lau.
In his address, Ratu Mara said the people of Hawaii and the Pacific, and many beyond it, were thrilled at the adventure of the Hokule’a, the voyaging canoe that reenacted the epic journeys of the Hawaiian people to and from Tahiti over a thousand years ago.
“We in Fiji, looking from afar, shared in the justifiable pride of the Hawaiian people in that unique recreation of the technical skill, navigational expertise, and sheer courage of their ancestors.
“The sailing canoe I am here to dedicate today, was not sailed from Fiji, indeed it is not suitable for long distanced voyaging.
“Nevertheless, I feel a great deal of pride as I stand before you today, because this camakau is the product of a living tradition. Even as I speak, vessels similar to this are being sailed and constructed near my home, the Lau islands of Fiji.”
