HONOLULU — Three canoes represented the CNMI in the Wa’a ceremony of the 2024 Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture here in Hawaii.
The Wa’a opening ceremony is a highlight of every FestPac, gathering the seagoing vessels of Oceania in a parade of boats.
This year’s Wa’a ceremony was held at Kualoa (not Kailua) Regional Park and gathered thousands of cultural delegates from Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
Participating in this year’s event were 500 Sails canoes Aunty Oba, Mikaela and Che’lu.
Mikaela was captained by Master Navigator Mario Benito, who was joined by his son Lolo Benito, Beo Ngirchongor, and others. Mikaela is the 500 Sails vessel created entirely on Saipan at the 500 Sails Boatyard. It is a Carolinian style vessel made out of fiberglass and wood.
The crewmembers of Che’lu, a 47-foot-long sailing canoe, included her boatbuilder Mario “Sakman” Borja, Northern Marianas Humanities Council Executive Director and trained Lalayak Leo Pangelinan. Also aboard Che’lu were Northern Islands Mayor Valentino Taisacan, Louis Tilipao from the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Master Navigator Antonio Piailug, Frances Sablan and Yo’amte/Suruhanu Donald Mendiola.
Aunty Oba, which was also built entirely on Saipan, had an all-female crew: Andrea Carr, April Repeki, Sophia Perez, Marjorie Daria, Franceska De Oro, Eva Aguon Cruz and Jenny Cha.
Perez said the sailing conditions at Kailua Regional Park had similarities to the CNMI.
“In some ways it kind of reminds me of the lagoon we sail in, because when we went out it was low tide,” she said. “April [Repeki] looked down and it was so shallow you could walk.”
“It reminded me of our old stomping ground,” Perez said, referring to the Saipan Lagoon.
She said FestPac was an opportunity to bring the cultural sailing community together. She said being around all the vessels is a chance to see how different cultures rig their boats and sails.
“One thing I like is that FestPac brings our Marianas sailors together. We realize how familiar we all are with each other. Even if we might sail differently, we’re all part of the Marianas sailing community,” she added.
FestPac is the largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders, bringing together artists, cultural practitioners, scholars, officials and the general public from across the Pacific Islands and beyond.
Since its inception in 1972, FestPac has been hosted by different Pacific Island nations on a rotational basis, once every four years. The festival serves as an important venue for cultural conservation and revitalization, creativity and innovation, and cultural diplomacy for the Pacific community.
The goal of FestPac is to strengthen the physical and cultural resilience of Pacific Islanders and communities by cultivating connections to share culture and practices, learn and grow, adapt to a changing climate, contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage, and foster a sense of identity and unity among the people of the Pacific region.
The main pillars of the festival are ceremonies and protocols, symposium, performing arts, visual arts, and heritage arts.
Che’lu, on the right, is moored in the waters of Kualoa Regional Park on June 5, right next to the Hawaiian vessel Hokule’a.
The Wa’a Opening Ceremony is a highlight of every FestPac, gathering the seagoing vessels of Oceania in a parade of boats.
500 Sails canoe Aunty Oba and its all-female crew.
Mikaela was captained by Master Navigator Mario Benito during the Wa’a ceremony. Beouch Ngirchongor sits on the spars.
Che’lu, the 47-foot long Chamorro sailing canoe, joins the Wa’a ceremony.
