Papa Ho‘okele Wa‘a

University Level Education

Papa Ho‘okele Wa‘a, is a university level Hawaiian wayfinding and navigation class offered through the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. 

This class will explore the rich voyaging traditions of an island people through its literature, song, and chant. Students will explore the night sky and come to learn the stars and their traditional names through the inherited stories left by the ancestral navigators that settled these islands. 

A laboratory section will be offered to provide hands on field experience to enhance lecture sessions. 

Hawaiian Language Requirement

This pilot class will be taught exclusively through the Hawaiian language and requires proficient use of the language or prior consent of the instructor in order to enroll. A general survey level class for non-Hawaiian speaking students is being considered for the future.

Please check with University of Hawai‘i at Hilo website for a current schedule to determine session time and availability on a semester-by-semester basis.