Special Moore Bettah Uke

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:drool:

Love the look of that one.

By the tail block inlay - and the name there - might this be made for one of our own here on UU by that name?
 
Thanks Len. Let me elaborate......
This is a tribute uke honoring the Hokule'a, a modern day representation of the ancient Polynesian sailing canoes. It was originally built in the 70's to prove that the Hawaiians just didn't stumble upon their island, which was a common belief at the time, but in reality were expert navigators you learned to use natural elements including the stars, wind, currents and other indicators to travel great distances across the planet. Having proved this gave Hawaiians a new sense of pride in their heritage and this period marked the start of a Hawaiian cultural renaissance that is still growing today. During the beginning of one of it's Tahitian voyages in 1976, the Hokule'a was swamped by bad weather shortly after leaving port and it's crew was left adrift in the Moloka'i channel with no communication or hope of rescue. Eddie Aikau was a renowned waterman and lifeguard who worked the North Shore and was part of the crew that night. Under protest of the captain he volunteered to swim the 14 miles to the island of Lana'i to get help. He was never seen again. Eddie saved over 500 lives during his life time and is always honored during any discussion of the Hokum's history. I knew I had to include him somewhere on this uke.
You may also remember Bruddah Iz singing his tribute to the canoe in his "Hokule'a, Star of Gladness". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWkKAQxe2mc

The Hokule'a has recently returned from a three year round the world voyage where it traveled 42,000 miles raising awareness of the ocean's fragility and the taking care of our island earth. The canoe is currently on a several month long "Malama Hawaii" (thank you Hawaii) tour, visiting many ports in the state and offering tours to school children and the general public while also performing works to benefit the environment. (On their recent stop in maui they planted several thousand koa trees!) Last night there was a homecoming celebration at the Turtle Bay Resort in Haleiwa (also home of Hawaii Music Supply!) where Andrew Kitakis presented the uke to Nainoa Thompson, co founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (the parent organization of the Hokue'a). The ukulele will soon be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to the Polynesian Voyaging Society. A big mahalo goes out to Andrew Kitakis and Ledward Kaapana for graciously giving of their time to make this a reality and also to Len Kojima for his encouragement and suggestions.

If you are interested in finding out more about this historic canoe and find out what's going on today with the Hokule'a, check out the web site here: http://www.hokulea.com/worldwide-voyage/
 

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Andrew in the process of recording and getting the Hokule'a uke ready for auction....did recordings on the Hokule'a yesterday and getting set to record Led soon on the Hokule'a


Hokule'a docked in Haleiwa for 10 days..if on Oahu go check it out....
 
:drool:

Love the look of that one.

By the tail block inlay - and the name there - might this be made for one of our own here on UU by that name?

Haha, no, sadly it's not. LOL. For the record, I would never put my name on my uke. This is for the infamous -- even more so than Ukulele Eddie LOL -- Eddie Aikau. You may have seen tees or bumper stickers that say, "Eddie Would Go". That's him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Aikau
 
On Saturday, Len and I toured the Hokule'a which is moored in Hale'iwa Boat Harbor until this coming Saturday. In the lower right of the first picture you can see the plaque commemorating Eddie Aikau. Plus a close up of it and one of Len standing by the stern.

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This is awesome, awesome, awesome! I first heard about the Hokule'a several years ago, when, through my ukulele class at Kapalakiko I ke Aloha in San Francisco, I learned the songs "Maxwell Namunamu" and "Hokuli'ili'i" from the Brothers Cazimero Hokule'a tribute CD. Chuck's Hokule'a 'ukulele may be the most fitting tribute to the Hokule'a - it incorporates the boat itself on the soundboard, the stars by which the sailors on the original canoe navigated to find their way to Hawai'i in the fretboard, the Earth that the current Hokule'a Project is trying to save on the headstock, and, of course, Eddie Aikau, and its sale will benefit an organization committed to the Hawaiian values of cherishing and protecting the Earth and all of its gifts. I am moved beyond words by Chuck's generosity in building and donating this amazing instrument, and by the generosity of Andrew, Led, and others who have made the auction of this treasure possible. Mahalo, Len, for starting this thread.
 
Thanks Mark for the nice words I have said before you can write things down like no other...:)
and Thanks Greg for all the nice pictures and videos that I steal from you....:)

Thanks Chuck for your skills in building great ukes and Thxs Andrew for your recordings and photos.....
the auction should be a good one....
 
Thanks Len for taking us on this journey. I had hoped to visit the Hokule'a but won't be in Haleiwa until Nov., maybe I'll catch her at another location.
 
What a beautiful story, and a uke to match it.
 
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