For the Love of the Ocean

This morning I attended a memorial service for Dukie Kauhulu. I didn't know him but he's the man who founded my canoe club and he was one of Waikiki's most famous beach boys. He taught many people to surf Waikiki's waves and to paddle outrigger canoes. We paddled our club canoes over to his beach service in front of Duke's and then paddled out past the surf to spread flowers as they scattered his ashes.

I'd imagine you don't spend most of your life at the beach in Waikiki teaching folks to love the ocean unless you're a really cool person. From everything I can tell, this man was pretty remarkable. His pictures show a man with terrific smile and a very deep tan. His wife made it clear he had insisted on a party. There were casual clothes, laughs and songs. And when we got out on the ocean folks started passing Bud Lights, no doubt in tribute to Dukie. The final moment was when they sunk a koa paddle as his tombstone to rest at the bottom of the ocean. As we paddled back to Waikiki, the clouds came in and the rain started, a definite Hawaiian blessing.

This week our club purchased a new canoe! No small feat for a club our size with such poor members. Tomorrow we're conducting a Hawaiian blessing ceremony so we can race it on Sunday with the Hawaiian spirits on our side. I'll also take part in my first canoe rigging and hope to learn something good.

It's funny because we're a club of mostly white folks who are in it for the sport. We're competitive and we don't often incorporate much culture or tradition in our ways. But when I stop and think about it, I'm participating in an activity that is essential to the entire Pacific region. Canoes and paddles are what spread people and culture throughout the entire Pacific Rim. I'm just doing my part to keep the torch burning.