Polynesian Voyaging Society, Kamehameha Schools conclude 10-day cultural exchange in Taiwan

A delegation from the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Kamehameha Schools recently concluded a 10-day cultural exchange and planning visit around the East Asia island of Taiwan, advancing relationships, educational partnerships and logistical preparations for the anticipated arrival of traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia.

The canoes are expected to arrive at the island in spring 2027 as part of the Moananuiākea Voyage, a multi-year circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean connecting communities throughout more than 30 countries and nearly 100 indigenous territories.

Polynesian Voyaging Society and Kamehameha Schools delegates also made their visit just before Hōkūleʻa celebrates the 50th anniversary of the historic launch of its maiden voyage May 1, 1976.

Delegates included Polynesian Voyaging Society Chief Executive Officer Nainoa Thompson, who was a crew member on Hōkūleʻa during its return trip of that first deep-sea voyage in 1976 from Tahiti, and younger generation voyagers; Kamehameha Schools Executive Cultural Officer Randie Kamuela Fong; and Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Kaʻiwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center Manager Jamie Fong.

The group was hosted by Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center and Council of Indigenous Peoples as part of a cooperative agreement supporting the Austronesian International Art Triennial.

Organizers have long been committed to fostering indigenous self-awareness, cultural continuity and revitalization.

This collaboration reflects a shared vision: to revitalize ancestral voyaging traditions, sustain oceanic knowledge systems and nurture indigenous self-awareness and identity throughout the Austronesian world.

“For us, coming to Taiwan feels like a homecoming, returning to the homeland of the Austronesian-speaking diaspora,” said Fong in a release about the recent visit. “We came with humility to listen, to learn and to reconnect with the communities who have carried their ancestral traditions and knowledge forward.”

The visit began in Taipei, where the delegation met with The National Taiwan University’s Oceanography Institute, Council of Indigenous Peoples and Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council.

They traveled south from Taipei to Kaohsiung to conduct coastal scouting and assess potential port locations and then continued to Pingtung for cultural engagements before heading to Taitung for additional site visits and community connections.

The delegation visited Pingtung’s National Indigenous Culture Park, where they were received with a traditional ceremonial welcome by the indigenous Amis tribe.

“This will be more than a stop on the journey,” said representatives from Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Cultural Park in the release, referring to the spring 2027 visit of the voyaging canoes. “It will be a reunion that reconnects Taiwan with the sea routes of the Austronesian world. The ocean has always been there. We are simply learning again how to follow it to find each other again.”

A key part of the journey included traveling to Lānyǔ, or Orchid Island, where the delegation spent time learning from the Tao, or Yami, people about ancestral voyaging traditions and ocean-centered ways that continue to be a part of their daily life.

The visit deepened understanding of Taiwan’s place as a major origin point of the Austronesian language and voyaging family.

Delegates were taken on more port scouting visits in Taitung, and participated in the launch of the Austronesian Triennial Lecture Series which was attended by cultural and government representatives, scholars and ocean stewards.

Thompson, along with two next-generation navigators, presented insights on traditional navigation, education and the global relevance of indigenous knowledge.

“We are here to ask permission. We are here because we need your guidance, and we need your support to come to our homeland of 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, where the first genius of deep-sea voyaging canoe construction began, and where this great family was built stretching from Madagascar in the west to Peru in the east, across 15 time zones, the biggest country in the world by far,” said Thompson in his triennial event message. “This family of the canoe, this family of the ocean, comes to your land to learn. At the heart of your culture is love, and we have felt that deeply in these past few days.”

The visit concluded with a return to Taipei for additional port and logistics scouting.

Follow the voyage @hokuleacrew on Facebook and Instagram or visit the Polynesian Voyaging Society website for real-time tracking and updates.