Polynesian Cultural Center
Iosepa
This is a picture of the Iosepa. It is a double hulled canoe that we worked with during the internship.
The Group
(Back to front - Left to right) Izzie, Temoana, Uncle Kaipo, Samantha, Sinalei, Mason, Kumu Pilialoha.
Our pōhaku ku'i 'ai
What is the PCC internship site?
Background Information
The Polynesian Cultural Center(PCC) was created to share all the beautiful cultures of Polynesia with the world. In this internship we got to learn more of the voyaging side of our Hawaiian culture at PCC. In the Hawaiian village, there is a hale wa'a, a canoe house, in which lies a double hulled canoe, Iosepa. At this internship we learned the responsibilities of a crew member of Iosepa, how to make the most out of our surroundings and environment, and a little bit about the other Polynesian cultures. - Sinalei
The goals of this project was to educate Hawaii's Hawaiian youth, and inform them more about their cultures' beautiful, rich history. The aspect of our culture taught at this internship was holokai, or voyaging. -Sinalei
Students had to meet Uncle Kaipo on BYU campus, when all students had arrived we would do daily observations, oli before we enter the space of Iosepa, and have a talk about what we would be doing that day. - Temoana
Knowledge and skills were necessary to carry out tasks. - Mason
We had to have an open mind, and be ready to learn. This whole project was mostly a learning experience, and the knowledge and skills we gained from paying attention and participating is what we needed to get through. - Samantha
The Team!
Uncle Kaipo
Internship Mentor
Kumu Pilialoha
Academic Mentor
Sinalei Sorensen
Student Intern
Samantha Gersaba-Myers
Student Intern
Mason Evans
Student Intern
Temoana Sonoda
Student Intern
Izzy
Student Intern
Student Intern Reflections
Sinalei Sorensen
I was able to be a student of Uncle Kaipo and learn great wisdom and knowledge from him. He was passing all this knowledge to the next generation. It is important that we keep passing on all of this knowledge to future generations. Therefore, perpetuating our Hawaiian culture and practices. We learned some of the basics of a crew member of Iosepa, parts of the wa'a, how to make a pōhaku ku'i 'ai, and a little bit of the other Polynesian cultures at PCC.
This was a very fun internship, and I would most definitely recommend this to other students. Each day was eventful and filled with fun and knowledge.
Mason Evans
Not just me, but we were all able to effectively participate in learning the skills, knowledge from Uncle Kaipo during the PCC internship. Over the course of those 2 weeks, Iʻve learned the importance of that knowledge and skills. Whether it be navigating using you surroundings, or memorizing starlines. Its important that these are passed on for future generations,
This internship was very enriching, fun, and useful. Iʻve learned things that I probably isnʻt found in many places. For that, Iʻm grateful for my mentors.
Samantha Gersaba-Myers
In the Hokulani Program, I learned a variety of things. Some of these things included, making simple code, creating 3d models, etc. In the internship portion of the Hokulani Program, I went to PCC. I learned about the different cultures, about the people working there, and about the Iosepa. The Iosepa wa'a was used to teach us about how people sail on canoes, and various parts of a canoe. My favorite part about the PCC was just being able to do loads of hands-on activities, like making bundles of rope, or shaping pokahu. Exploring the PCC and getting to interact with the people working there was also great.
This internship opportunity was great. I loved learning about STEM and getting to have a sneak peak into what college is about. And going to the PCC was good as well. Although for me, the PCC was on the other side of the island(so the drive there was long), I still enjoyed my experience there, and would definitely go again (if it was closer to where I live). I really enjoyed how all the mentors used Hawaiian values in their teachings, and it really showed me how vast and amazing my culture is.
Temoana Sonoda
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity of working with uncle Kaipo and learning about how Iosepa came to be. But the most special thing about this program was that we weren't just learning about parts of the wa'a and how to sail on one. We were able to establish a stronger connection with our ancestors. Learning about things like how to undo and redo knots, cleaning the husk of a coconut, pounding pohaku, exploring PCC, and learning about the Hawaiian star-lines/compass.
Overall, I think this internship was very exciting and inspiring. The sense of pride that each island in Polynesia had made me feel proud to know where I came from and who I am today. Knowing that people like Uncle Kaipo, who continue to teach and learn about the Hawaiian culture has insitlled in me the desire to gain more knowledge of my ancestral practices.
Izzy Kauwe
For this internship I mostly helped out with group work. This included whatever anyone needed help with that I could accurately assist them with. Towards the final project I, at the best of my ability, tried to create outlines for what would become our final project. Other then that I was just trying to make sure I did my part in this program.
During this whole program I got to experience Hawaiian Culture and its relation to modern day science. It was very interesting to see how my ancestors viewed the natural world around them and were able to make scientific conclusions, even as children, that most people back then would only understand as an older adult. Thanks to PCC I was able to understand this concept better and got to see a little on how other Polynesian cultures understood the world as well. This by far was the one piece of info that I was very happy to experience and learn during this program. If I could do this again, I would want to ask more questions regarding this topic as well as more clarifying questions as well.