People of Taumako, Southeast Solomons connect intimately with their islands and ocean. 

Ancestral relationships with phenomena of sea, sky, and land, and with communities of neighboring islands are of utmost importance.  Ancient materials, methods, designs, and tools are used in everyday life.

 

Their ancestor, Lata, was the first person to build and sail a voyaging canoe from a tree authorized by their ancestor Hinora / Hina. To build a voyaging canoe, Lataʻs first step is to plant gardens to feed the workers.  Lata was, and is, an expert in agriculture, weather, navigation, relationships with animals, life rituals, creative arts, and how to make partners and solve problems between people and communities.

 

Voyaging practices were outlawed by colonizers. Since the 1920s Taumako became more and more isolated, a cash economy grew. In 1993 Te Aliki Kaveia of Taumako observed that the climate was changing. Taumakoans, and other Pacific islanders, need to use Lata’s ancient knowledge to be self-sufficient and have supportive communications with each other. 

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Because Lata voyaged all through Polynesia, Lataʻs gardening, ocean, sky, weather, and social knowledge is key to re-connecting networks of island peoples and reviving sustainable bio-cultural practices throughout Oceania. Lata Cultural Voyaging School of HVTA aims to train people to make this happen.

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PROGRAM GOALS
      

~Train youth to build TePuke or TeAlo Lili voyaging canoes and sail them to re-open seaways throughout SE Solomons and the western Pacific region.  Eventually complete the “Holau Vanuatu” the newly re-opened, ancient, sea-road between Taumako and Vanuatu

 

~ Complete interior building of the new permanently-roofed Halevaka (canoe house) at Taumako, to accommodate local and international students, internet communications office, archive, toilet, kitchen, and video lab. Establish a solar power system adequate to run laptops and lights.

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~ Inventory plants and other resources as students learn what to use for each part of the vaka, how it functions when sailing at sea, and what the relationships (correlations and calibrations) between phenomena are in Lata’s ancient system of wayfinding, gardening and weather work – called Te Nohoanga Te Matangi.  The students identify and grow traditional plants and use them in their feasts to feed the workers daily.  Teach methods of food preparation and preservation, such as making MahI – fermented breadfruit in pits, smoking tree-nuts, and sun-drying nutritious and medicinal oils from Coconut ,Tamanu, and other fruits. 

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~ Welcome foreign students as well as Taumako and Temotu Province islanders, to learn practices of cultural wisdom in the lifestyles of the voyagers.  The Taumako Traditional Voyaging School will become a showcase and hub for other communities that aim to use ancient knowledge to perpetuate bio-diversity and human health as part of Lata’s systematic relationships between people and natural phenomena of the land and sea.  

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~ Build or acquire and operate an all-seasons support and service vessel that can provide transport, emergency services, fish commercially, and be the legally required escort to traditional training vessels.

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~ Welcome all tribal groups and all ages and genders to participate in the agricultural work,

      vessel constructions and deep sea voyages.

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~ Train younger students in deep sea sailing and inter-island voyaging and relationship protocols as practiced by our ancestors.

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~ Make voyages to other islands within the Duffs Group and within Temotu during 2025-26. Eventually sail to their partner school of Pasana Group at Basilaki Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, and to renew family and voyaging partner ties in northern Vanuatu.

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~ Participate in cultural exchanges, conferences, and celebrations throughout Oceania

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~ Reinforce the ancient community model of tribal groups working together and helping each other.  Document how it works by keeping a weekly log of meetings, steps, events in the process during 2017-2019.

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~ Create government schools curricula and lesson plans for learning/practicing Lata’s agricultural and voyaging technologies...including 8 areas of learning Kaveia defined:

1) Hoolau - voyaging practices, safety procedures, and weather work, sailing maneuvers and performance, emergency procedures, all practicals – includes rigging, shunting, te lapa, what to do if lashings break, capsize, etc. 

2) Kaha – making coconut fiber twist and braids, making hau 3 strand twist

3) Laula – weaving mats = woman teacher. lofting/sewing onto lakau – man teacher

4) Lashings – for all parts of te vaka, te ama, te pola, te laula, etc.

5) Cutting/crafting parts of vaka – te vaka, te lakahalava, te alunga, te matai, te lou, te utongi, te ama, etc. 

6) Winds positioning system (Te nohoanga te matangi) 8 / 16 / 32 positions, seasons, 4 sunrise/sunset positions annually, special winds. Weather-work.

7) Swells and waves – four main huahua and various wind waves, reflected waves and swells around islands, and between islands, currents, etc. 

8) Sky / Asterisms and dark shapes  – 10 guiding ones plus others, rise and set wind positions and how to use each one for star paths, and their wing stars (papakau). Weather that comes when particular stars rise or set.  Opposite partner stars.

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~ Document progress of all the activities on video, create an archive and produce instructional dvds.

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~ Complete part 3 of We, the Voyager: Lataʻs Children documentary film series, focused on womenʻs roles and leadership in voyaging.

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~ Complete the book Sailing with Lata about how this school came into being, what has been accomplished, what Lata’s system (Te Nohoanga Te Matangi) tells us about the coordination and calibration of natural phenomena that result in best outcomes for voyaging, sustainability, and resilience of island peoples

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- Achieve sustainability economically, employing youth and helping partners of inter-island in voyaging networks

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DESIRED OUTCOMES

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~ The students acquire competencies and know how to pass them on to the next generation.

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~ In the future, when students become successful with their education, get a job, and live a modern life, they will know how to pass on Lata’s knowledge and work habits to others when they return to live in Taumako.

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~The students know how to build a halevaka, how to look after TePuke, and how to maintain them.

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~ Revive our traditional trading partners and family relationships with people of distant islands.

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~ Invite students from other Islands within the Santa Cruz group/Temotu Province and other Pacific Islands to learn how to grow many varieties of foods and useful plants, build authentic vaka with traditional materials, and sail them using traditional navigation system. Regrow a partnership network between islands, and between students and foreigners, so as to increase the sustainability of all.

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~ Advocate and make awareness that traditional ways of living, sailing vaka, and navigation are reliable and environmentally friendly.

 

~ Encourage tribal groups and general community participation in some steps of Vaka building, as practiced by our ancestors.

 

~ Revive gardening practices and plant gardens to feed the builders and sailors, and to use in emergencies – such as natural disasters.         

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~ Revive traditional resource management practices for land and reefs, such as gardening in dis-used kainga and out-islands, and coordinating production with the needs and resources of partners on other islands.

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~ Inventory and map plants, animals, and cultural sites of bio-cultural value, including interviews with elders who know these resources

 

~ Revive steady production of fiber and plant cordages

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~ Revive marriage-making between people of distant islands

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~ Assist people of other islands who experience disasters or need help

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~ Revive networks of partnership islands throughout the region

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~ Revive Duff Islands and Temotu Province as a crossroads at the historical and cultural root of the greater Pacific.

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~ Revive traditional shell and feather currencies and sharing protocols that do not require cash money.

 

~ Create awareness and education of people world-wide regarding the benefits and how-to skills of ancient knowledge

Increase in deliberately beneficial human interactions and relationship with natural phenomena

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 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT MEASURES

_​ Know how to respect and create partnerships and agreements about use of natural resources and human labor in building of vessels and making voyages

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~ Can prepare, plant, maintain, harvest, & cook all the plants that Lata did

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~ Can name the vaka parts and their functions, identify and name the type of materials, plants and trees used

know how to grow, prepare & make each different type of cordage

 

~ Know and can make of the different type of lashings used- Hau Hola, hau manga and hau umu, and many different types of plants that are used in lashing.

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_ master how to select, adze, shape, & fit all parts of the TePuke

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~ Know how to grow, prepare & weave laula ( pandanus) mats for the sail.

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~ Know the traditional methods of wayfinding tools - Te Nohoanga te Matangi (wind position) names and partners, Te lapa, the swell patterns, the stars, clouds above the islands, the birds at sea, and the relationships between them during different seasons and conditions, and the protocols of preparing to sail.

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~ How to predict and modify weather and sea states/conditions

 

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Holau Vaka Taumako Association (HVTA) STEPS and GOALS

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STEPS

~ The charitable org HVTA was nationally registered in May, 2021. After many months of delay because of COVID conditions and rough weather preventing travel to Taumako, a general members meeting of Vaka Valo Association was accomplished at Taumako during September, 2021. Executive Director Luke Vaikawi resigned from VVA, and was confirmed by vote of HVTA membership as Executive Director of Holau  Vaka Taumako  Association (HVTA), with over 95% of community membership. ​

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- In 2022 the site for construction of the halevaka (canoe house for Taumako Traditional Voyaging Culture School) was ʻhanded overʻ by owners, cleared, and consecrated to the purpose with a huge feast. Identification of natural materials to be used in construction and negotiations began in 2023 and 2024. In 2024 when two halevaka were built. In 2025 a Te Alo Lili is being built. Soon after 6 Te Alo Folau (small paddling/sailing outriggers) will be built - one for each of 6 communities around Taumako.​

 

GOALS

~ Prepare new gardens and acquire planting stock for building and sailing projects

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~ Inventory food, tree, reef, ocean, and plant resources needed for feeding workers, building and sailing the voyaging   canoe, and for gifts to partners on other islands 

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~ Pay workers for kaha, owners for trees, and other parts for vaka.​

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~ Buy school fees for the workers and students so that their children can go to school when they are building, sailing, teaching and learning

 

~ Costs of officially required escort vessel(s) for Sea training and inter Island voyaging

 

~ ship safety at sea equipment from Pacific Traditions Society in Hawaii to Taumako – EPIRBs, communicators and data, VHF handheld radios, AIS capable VHS, flotation gear, survival gear, running lights,, solar power system, etc.

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~ Video interview elders about each step and activity being done – Interview participants of all ages and genders— what have you learned?  What do you need to learn?  etc.

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~ Video recordings of each step, technique, plant work, navigation method being used, skill of building, etc.

inclusion of foreign students and visitors in all activities

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~ Production, editing and publishing of written papers, book, and video / films by the video team of HVTA

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~ Distribution of written and video materials

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~ Continuous and self-sustaining school at Taumako

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~ Partnerships and developing network of schools and voyaging enterprises based on ancient knowledge and practices around the world

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_ continued and strengthening of intellectual property and intangible cultural knowledge