Crew Profile

Jamaica Heolimelekalani Osorio

Hometown

Palolo, Oʻahu

Voyage(s)

Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 6: Vancouver to Seattle

Bio

Heoli is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Dept. at U.H. Manoa. She is also an artist, a poet, and a voyager. She first sailed on Hōkūleʻa off of Honolulu in 2020, not too long ago but long enough to have already sailed inter-island and to Papahānaumokuākea.

When asked what at Hōkūleʻa means to her, she replies “He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa. Hōkūleʻa is the opportunity to live up to our highest principles and practices for the betterment of the lāhui and the world.” She says she is “inspired” by Moananuiākea’s “mission to unite a global community around a love and protection of the earth. I wish to participate to help to spread that work while rooting it in the principles of aloha ʻaina.” Heoli sees voyaging as a way to “fulfill my kuleana to my lāhui, kupuna, and ʻohana.”

When voyaging, Jamaica says she most misses “Cuddles with my wahine and babygirl <3, and ice water.” And while back in her every day life on land, what she misses most about being at sea is “sleeping in the hulls of the canoe, singing with the crew, eating Uncle Garyʻs food, listening to Uncle Bruceʻs stories.”