JEREMIAH Benavente, the owner of 500 Sails’ newest canoe Den Yo Povi, said its design was inspired by his Native American heritage.
Born and raised on Saipan, Benavente is Chamorro on his father’s side of the family, and has Hopi, White Mountain Apache and Tewa heritage on his mother’s side of the family.
His canoe is named in honor of his mother, who is originally from Arizona. The name translates to “Blue Spruce Blossom” in the Hopi language.
In an interview with Variety on Tuesday, Nov. 14, Benavente said he consulted with his maternal relatives when selecting which patterns to include on his canoe.
He said the designs he settled on relate to water.
“After we did the float test, I painted [Den Yo Povi],” Benavente said. “I put a few designs from my mom’s tribe. They’re ancient drawings that were found on stone walls. Those waves are a design my uncle had.”
Benavente said he intends to use his canoe for fishing and trips to Managaha.
“My plan is to sail the lagoon first … then slowly venture out to deeper water. My ultimate goal is to be able to launch at Laulau because of the eastern wind,” he added.
Benavente is a lifelong talayeru, or cast net fisherman, and has experience with other fishing methods as well. He said he looks forward to shallow-water bottom fishing inside the lagoon, and jigging and trolling outside of the reef.
He plans on teaching his nephews and other family members how to sail.
500 Sails will officially launch Den Yo Povi on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Guma Sakman Beach, directly across from Marianas High School, at 11 a.m.
There will be free canoe rides beginning at 9 a.m. as part of 500 Sails’ regular Saturday program.
After consulting with his Native American family members in Arizona, Jeremiah Benavente included designs to his canoe that reference water.
Jeremiah Benavente said this is a figure of a spruce tree.
