Hometown
Lāʻie, Hawaiʻi
Voyage(s)
Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 11 | Hikianalia: Mauliola to Hilo, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 14 | Hōkūleʻa: Tahiti to Rarotonga
Bio
Steven is a musician and president of an LLC. He is one of our newer voyagers, having first sailed on a waʻa kaulua in March of 2024. It was aboard his hometown canoe Iosepa.
He says: “I want to continually become a more reliable sailor and steward of our wa'a kaulua and the communities we serve. I want to learn how to best serve our navigators and captains and gain a better understanding of the work they do. I hope to serve my crew and our leadership with my talents in music, cooking and communication. I also strive to strengthen my connection to my ancestral homelands throughout the Pacific.”
The Moananuiākea Voyage is his first deep-sea long-distance sail. He says “I feel called to join the good work that the Polynesian Voyaging Society does for the world. I want to do my part in honoring the legacy of our Polynesian ancestors through cultural revival, perpetuation of their wisdom and good stewardship of the earth. I also want to honor my Tongan, Hawaiian and Japanese heritage through hard work and good stewardship of these wa'a kaulua as they travel to my ancestral homelands in Moananuiākea.”
He anticipates missing his loved ones while voyaging, but says “I often feel like my connection to them is strengthened in other ways when Iʻm out at sea. Sometimes, I also miss ice.” He also has enough time on board a canoe to know that when he is on land “I miss the profound connection I feel to the sea, to the earth in general and my ancestors. I also miss the closeness I develop with my crew and our leadership.”
He says: “I want to continually become a more reliable sailor and steward of our wa'a kaulua and the communities we serve. I want to learn how to best serve our navigators and captains and gain a better understanding of the work they do. I hope to serve my crew and our leadership with my talents in music, cooking and communication. I also strive to strengthen my connection to my ancestral homelands throughout the Pacific.”
The Moananuiākea Voyage is his first deep-sea long-distance sail. He says “I feel called to join the good work that the Polynesian Voyaging Society does for the world. I want to do my part in honoring the legacy of our Polynesian ancestors through cultural revival, perpetuation of their wisdom and good stewardship of the earth. I also want to honor my Tongan, Hawaiian and Japanese heritage through hard work and good stewardship of these wa'a kaulua as they travel to my ancestral homelands in Moananuiākea.”
He anticipates missing his loved ones while voyaging, but says “I often feel like my connection to them is strengthened in other ways when Iʻm out at sea. Sometimes, I also miss ice.” He also has enough time on board a canoe to know that when he is on land “I miss the profound connection I feel to the sea, to the earth in general and my ancestors. I also miss the closeness I develop with my crew and our leadership.”