Nainoa Thompson
Native Hawaiian Navigator and President, Polynesian Voyaging Society
“They are going to inherit our past; we are not going to save their future. We need to prepare them to do that. So, we work very hard in Hawai’i with the fundamental belief that Hawai’i is going to be the starlight for the Earth. If we learn how to live well on the Islands, we learn to live well on the Earth, because that’s what the Earth is.”
Biography
Trained by the likes of Mau Piailug and Herb Kāne, Charles Nainoa Thompson has since joined his kūpuna (teachers) as one of the most renowned navigators of our time. Hailing from Niu Valley on the island of O’ahu, the Native Hawaiian navigator has had an influential role in revitalizing the ancient Polynesian art of navigation. Helping in the construction and sailing of the double-hulled canoes, the Hōkūle‘a and the Hawai‘iloa, Nainoa was the first Hawaiian since the 14th century to sail from Hawai’i to Tahiti, crossing the Pacific Ocean in 1976 without use of any modern navigational tools. Utilizing the stars and waves to chart a course, Nainoa has since gone on to pursue an educational-based approach to revitalizing this lost art of sailing. His work in both the educational and community spectrums have gained him many accolades, including the Unsung Hero of Compassion, awarded to him by His Holiness XIV Dalai Lama. Now the current president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Nainoa continues in his efforts to spread the Hawaiian teachings of navigation, as well as discipline, courage, and the spirit of Aloha.