Heart of Hawaiian - Uʻi Malakaua

Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendant U‘i Malakaua began studying Polynesian navigation, or wayfinding, in her hometown of Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i Island in 2007. She spent countless hours aboard the Makali‘i, a double-hulled wa‘a (canoe), learning how to sail guided by natural cues, as her ancestors had done. U‘i’s passion for carrying traditional wayfinding skills and values forward took her to O‘ahu, where she mentored students of the Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy for four years. In 2018, U‘i passed the rigorous training program to become a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant. Today, in addition to her role at Hawaiian Airlines, U‘i serves as program coordinator for the Wa‘a Program of La‘i‘ōpua 2020, a nonprofit serving Native Hawaiian Homestead residents and the broader Kona Coast community. By passing forward time-honored Polynesian navigation practices aboard the community-built wa‘a La‘i‘ōpua, she is helping the organization fulfill its mission to forge a sustainable future based on ancestral practices and the use of natural resources.
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