Davidson David, Binton Daniel, Linton Baso, Grant Bilyard and his son Tayne in the grand final of the Mieco Beach Yacht Club Recycle Can Race. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

WAM’s Winning Team

Grant Bilyard (second), Moten Naisher (participant's prize), Dr. Bob Blue (first), and Linton Baso (third). Photo: Karen Earnshaw

Grant Bilyard (second), Moten Naisher (participant’s prize), Dr. Bob Blue (first), and Linton Baso (third). Photo: Karen Earnshaw

WAM instructor Linton Baso came third in the grand final of last weekend’s annual Mieco Beach Yacht Club Recycle Can Race, while colleague Binton Daniel made the finals. WAM friend Davidson David ‘crewed’ for Canvasback’s Dr. Bob Blue, whose little aluminum boat took out first place overall. The WAM team made the boats, so it was fitting that they did well in the competition. A record 38 boats took part in the race. Pictured above are Davidson David, Binton Daniel, Linton Baso, Grant Bilyard and his son Tayne in the grand final of the Mieco Beach Yacht Club Recycle Can Race. Photo: Karen Earnshaw


Captain Korent Joel, Alson Kelen, and Joe Genz on Rongelap Atoll in 2005. Photo: WAM

National Geographic supports WAM

The plan to begin coaching a new generation of traditional navigators this summer has taken another leap towards reality thanks to a grant for Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM) from an organization linked to National Geographic.

The Genographic Legacy Fund is providing $25,000 for the project, which is officially called the Preservation and Training of Marshallese Voyaging and Navigation.

Alson Kelen, Joe Gen, Captain Korent Joel on the yacht Mali in 2006. Photo: WAM

Alson Kelen, Joe Gen, Captain Korent Joel on the yacht Mali in 2006. Photo: WAM

Joe Genz, the Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, who has worked on the navigation program for many years with WAM director Alson Kelen, is thrilled with the news of the grant. “The National Geographic grant will substantially move WAM’s navigation program forward by supporting a long-distance canoe voyage on which a younger generation can begin to learn the traditional Marshallese methods of wave navigation.

“Passing on this knowledge now is critical to the safeguarding of Marshallese voyaging for future generations.”

The grant follows an equally generous donation of $31,000 to WAM from the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, which was provided in September last year.

Kelen said National Geographic has long had a relationship with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. “He realized that what we’re doing at WAM is the same goal as the Society’s, so he approached National Geographic to see if they would want to support us. Both programs are all about teaching youth about traditional skills by reviving those skills and passing them on down.

“As well, we know that there aren’t too many skilled navigators left today, so time is of the essence.”

There is already a lot of work being done on the project, especially at the university in Hawaii, Kelen said. “There’s a team working on devices that will help us understand the traditional navigation in a scientific way. This is one of the requests from our master navigator Captain Korent Joel. He’s very keen to see the scientific knowledge and compare it to what he knows, so that we can all understand it better.”

Here in the Marshalls, Alson is beginning the process of following tradition in selecting the first group of novices for the summer canoe program. “Joe and I have been working on this for years and we are now about to see our efforts come to fruition,” Kelen said. “This is a time we’ve long been waiting for and now it’s nearly here we’re very excited!”


Mayor sponsors canoe races

Canoes will be zipping across the lagoon on Saturday, February 21, when Mayor Mudge Samuel of the Majuro Atoll Local Government sponsors a series of canoe races. There will be two canoe divisions competing, plus a riwut (miniature canoe) division.  The races will be part of the Majuro Atoll 2015 Liberation day celebration. First to race will be the riwuts at 1:30pm. Their course will be from Enearmij Island (the V7AB antenna island near Ejit) to Delap. Both divisions of canoes  (14-18 feet and 18-24 feet) will begin their races shortly after the finish of the riwut race. The courses will be decided on the day of the race, depending on wind speed and direction.


A crew of local artists and students build and paint sets for Guys and Dolls at WAM, February 2015. Photo: Laura Masterson

The Guys, the Dolls, and WAM

Tuesday, March 3, to Saturday, March 7: WAM gets involved in lots of great projects going on around town, including the musical Guys and Dolls, which premiers March 3 at the International Conference Center, Delap. The play is produced under the auspices of the Youth Bridge Global and is directed by Professor Andrew Garrod of Dartmouth College with youth from all around Majuro starring. What parts did WAM play? First, WAM Director Alson Kelen is the traditional translator for the Professor’s annual plays and this year is no exception.  The play will be performed in Marshallese with the musical numbers sung in English. Second, the play’s artists needed a big open space to create the sets, so  Apo Leo, Alexis Bilyard, Rebecca Lathrop and David Fisher, along with many student volunteers, were welcomed to WAM and you can see their efforts on stage from 8pm each evening this week.


WAM's Linton Baso and Binton Daniel work on the yacht club beer can boats. Photo: Laura Masterson.

WAM builds boats for yacht race

The WAM construction team has been busy building boats for the Mieco Beach Yacht Club’s annual Recycle Can Race on the afternoon of Sunday, February 8, at the Marshall Islands Resort’s beach. This is often voted as the yacht club’s best event of the year. You come along and buy a boat for $5 and see if you’re America’s Cup material by competing in the elimination heats! Pictured are Linton Baso and Binton Daniel with the newly-made boats, which earn WAM a nice bit of pocket money. Photo: Laura Masterson.


Associate Director Tamie Bowman

Tamie Bowman Associate Director

“It’s a privilege to be part of the WAM organization. They have developed a unique program that combines preserving Marshallese culture through canoe building and sailing with teaching life skills that assist in navigating the ‘real world’ job market.”

Background

Tamie started work as WAM’s Associate Director in October, 2015. She hails from Washington State and she and her husband, Joel,  arrived in the Marshall Islands on their yacht Good News in December, 2014.  The Bowmans have lived in Micronesia since 2008, mainly based in US Territory of Guam. Tamie was excited to learn about WAM and the program’s efforts to teach traditional canoe building and sailing skills to the youth of the Marshall Islands. As Associate Director she is assisting Director Alson Kelen in all aspects of program operations, the writing of grant applications, promoting the organization … and managing the website!

Qualifications

Tamie has been involved in various business and volunteer activities and is now actively receiving training to raise her skills in program management and grant writing.

Home

Bellingham, Washington State, US


US Embassy folk and friends prepare for the sail or their life. Photo: WAM

“Great sail, great sailors!”

US Embassy folk and their friends set sail on WAM canoes. Photo: WAM

US Embassy folk and their friends set sail on WAM canoes. Photo: WAM

On Saturday, January 17, friends of WAM from the US Embassy and their visiting guests from Minnesota, US, went on a canoe ride between torrential rain-squalls and had the time of their lives!  They sent kudos to these spirited sailors and their skillful crew with the words: “Should have done this months ago! Great sail, great sailors.”


The canoe undergoes a refit on Ailuk Atoll in 2013.

WAM canoe hard at work in Ailuk

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Ten years ago, the Local Government of Ailuk Atoll commissioned WAM to design and build a unique style of canoe. The council had decided the atoll was in need of a workhorse that would complement the many traditional canoes that were in everyday use on the atoll.

Ailuk’s islands run along the western side of the atoll in a north-south direction, while the eastern shore is mostly just coral walls. The prevailing north-east winds make this layout of the islands perfect for reaching (sailing with the wind on the beam) between the main island of Ailuk Ailuk, the northern community of Enejelar, and the uninhabited islands in between. While these middle isles no longer have villages, they are often visited for the harvesting of coconuts for copra, which makes for a heavy load.

It was decided that a catamaran-style, double-hulled canoe could support a strong, wide platform, as well as provide double the amount of storage in the hulls. Ailuk officials approached the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and was given a grant to pay for the building of the catamaran.

And so it was that the instructors and trainees in the 2004 program built the canoe, giving it a bright blue and white paint job, with contrasting red lashings.

The canoe was delivered to Ailuk, where it was immediately put to service. But, as the years slipped by, even the sturdiest of objects will succumb to the elements of a low-lying outer island. And so, in 2013, a grant was successfully sought from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a team was chosen to do a refit of the catamaran. The RMI National Training Council also assisted with funding for the project.

Team leader of the refit was Rice Snight, a champion canoe sailor, who over the years has often come to Majuro to compete in the annual National Cup. The refit took a number of months, but by early 2014 was back in action on Ailuk’s lagoon.


Counseling Program

‘Our persistence in showing the trainees a brighter path does pay off.’

Tolina Tomeing - Counselor

Counselor Tolina Tomeing

Counseling is an integral part of the Waan Aelõñ in Majel program as the majority of the trainees have issues that have held them back from realizing their potential, which brought them to the program in the first place.

WAM is fortunate to have two highly-trained counselors: Tolina Tomeing* and the program’s Director Alson Kelen*.

“Our purpose is to help the youth in the program, who almost all left school early and lack the skills and education to be successful in employment, school and their lives,” Tolina explained. “The types of issues they are facing when they first enroll in the program are substance abuse, including alcohol and other drugs, gang involvement and being young mothers.”

WAM’s counseling consists of both group and individual sessions with the trainees. “This involves emotional and behavior issues and why they are resorting to substance abuse.”

The following are some of the techniques applied in the counseling sessions:

Listening skills: It is important to listen attentively to the trainee in an attempt to understand both the content of their problem, as they see it, and the emotions they are experiencing related to the problem. In many cases, this is the first time the trainees have had the opportunity to discuss these issues and most feel liberated to be able to go through this process.

Resistance: At WAM we understand that changing human behavior is not usually a linear, direct, and logical process. It is often very emotional and many habits of behavior and thought that are dysfunctional are difficult to break.

Persistence: Our persistence in showing the trainees a brighter path — be it in the classroom, the workshop, or, indeed, through the counseling sessions — does pay off. At every WAM graduation,  the counselors are often the most emotional as they see the broad changes that have come about in these young people in such a brief time.

* Tolina is a graduate and a continuing student at the College of the Marshall Islands and has also successfully completed many certificate programs. You can read more about her in her profile page.

* Alson is a certified counselor. You can  read more about him in his profile page.

 


Olli-Pekka and Auli Ollila take their grandson Gideon for a smooth ride on a WAM canoe. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

‘We loved it!’

‘Our sail guides were very skilled and the ride was very smooth.’

Olli-Pekka and Auli Ollila take their grandson Gideon for a smooth ride on a WAM canoe. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

Olli-Pekka and Auli Ollila take their grandson Gideon for a smooth ride on a WAM canoe. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

Four years ago, Mikko and JoAnn Ollila, who live in Seattle, came to Majuro to adopt their son Gideon. In the four weeks that they spent in Majuro, Mikko said that “aside from Gideon, sailing the lagoon with WAM was my most enduring and fun memory of the Marshall Islands.”

In late 2014, the couple returned with their two children and Mikko’s parents from Kangasala, Finland. Mikko said: “When we had a chance to return today, I told my parents that sailing the canoe with WAM was a must-do. I was so excited that they could do that with my son Gideon. It was really special for us.”

Here’s what his parents had to say:

Captain Linton Baso with the Ollila family.

Captain Linton Baso with the Ollila family. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

Olli-Pekka: “Our son Mikko told us that the canoe sail was wonderful. And it was. It was a great day out on the water – and a great way to see the island and enjoy the weather and waters of the Marshall Islands”

Auli: “Our sail guides were very skilled and the ride was very smooth. It was so smooth that our grandson Gideon even fell asleep for a few minutes! We loved it.”


Dennis Alessio’s Legacy

Dennis Alessio, co-founder of Waan Aelõñ in Majel.

Dennis Alessio, co-founder of Waan Aelõñ in Majel. Photo: WAM

Dennis Alessio spent 20 years researching canoes and reviving the art of building and sailing the culturally-important treasures.

His efforts included the development of the Waan Aelõñ in Majel program before he left the Marshalls in 2007.

Featured below is a three-part series by Giff Johnson published in the Marshall Islands Journal shortly after Dennis left the RMI.

To read the series in pdf format, click here.

Below are the jpgs of the pages in the Journal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Names of Canoe Parts

 

Names of canoe parts

Each part of a traditional Marshallese canoe has its own specific name. Below are the names in Marshallese and English. Below these words is a description of the lashings on a canoe.

canoe parts names in 2 cols

Lashing details

Lashing on a canoe made by WAM for Ailuk Atoll.

Lashing on a canoe made by WAM for Ailuk Atoll. Photo: Karen Earnshaw

Elmakwot: This is the very first lashing we use on this canoe which is actually temporary, holding parts in place while they are fine shaped or so they remain tight while the permanent lashing is executed. The ekkwal is threaded through the two holes that tie the certain parts together six to eight times, or as many as times as will thread through the hole. The lines is then knotted to hold it in place and a hardwood wedge (katok) is driven under this temporary lashing, pulling the parts tightly together. When lashing the main hull the elmakwot are places about every 6-8 lashing holes. This beginning of this lashing is the same as the emem, explained in the next sequence, but without the lebout (figure 64).
Emem: This knot lashes the main hull together. This same type of lashing is used for the following lashings: to tie the planking of the main platform (põtak) together, well as to the side rails and the main booms; the sacrificial keel (erer) to the bottom of the hull; all of the parts of the lee platform (kein maan roñ) with the main hull; the mast step to the top of the põtak; the mainsail sheet cleats (jirukli to the side of the hull. The same technique and style of lashings used on Enewetak are similarly used as described on Likiep (Alessio 1990), Namdik Atoll (Alessio 1991a) and Ailuk (Alessio 1991c) with the exception of some specific name differences between the Ratak and Ralik dialects. An added exception is that the style of lashing used in Namdik, tying the mweiur to the apet and kie is used in Enewetak for lashing the crosspieces (kein ioon ere), which support the secondary platform (ere) to the apet and kie.

Layout of the jojo (the outrigger lift lashed to the kie) and kabõj (The lashing which ties the ends of the jojo to the top of the kubaak).
Kabõj: This lashing is tied around the groove carved into the end of the jojo before going down and through hole drilled at the outer ends of the ae. The number of wraps depends on the builder, usually 6 to 12 on a canoe this size (figure 70a). The entire lashing is wrapped around itself lebout style b. This is the lashing which, integral with the jojo, acts as the shock absorber when the kubaak moves up and down with the waves.
Ino in Jõbarbar: Lashing which ties the two sail booms together. At the kõpãlpel end of the rojak maan, from the end and in the side an ekkwal ring is looped through about 20 wraps and then wrapped around itself using the lebout technique, tying the bottom of the loop together so that the rojak okra can be lashed to it (figure 72a). The end of the rojak is completely wrapped with coconut coir to the loop.
Ino in erer: Five holes large enough to accept six wraps of lashing line are drilled into the erer. One in the center, two approximately 1 jetan (7in [18cm]) from both bejõñ line, and two more about 4 ar (3in [7.6cm]) from both ends. This same procedure is done in the bottom of the hull with the exception that the outer holes are drilled one makwõj (1in [2.5cm]) closer to the outer ends of the erer in order to reduce fore and aft slippage of the erer while beaching. In other words the outside lashings are at an angle and not exactly vertical. The holes are two ar (3.8cm [1.5″]) apart at the seam. The lashing knot is the same emem type used for the main hull.


Read the WAM book

unbound WAM book front cover higher resMany of the trainees in the 2012 program star in the book simply titled WAM: Canoes of the Marshall Islands, which was published thanks to the Unbound Bookmaker Project, coordinated by Jamie Zvirzdin. Under this project many Marshallese non-profit organizations were sponsored to create and publish books.

According to the Unbound Bookmaker site the project aims to provide an authorship experience for children in the Marshall Islands to write, illustrate, and publish their own stories, in both Marshallese and English.

“Our aims for this project were to promote literacy, creativity, andc onfidence, with the additional benefit of teaching important life skills, imparting knowledge on environmental issues, and preserving local culture,” Jamie said. “About 300 students in the Marshall Islands have participated in creating 15 class books. Each has received a copy as part of the project, and each library has a set of the books.”

The WAM family with book publisher Jamie Zvirzdin, second from right.

The WAM family with book publisher Jamie Zvirzdin, second from right. Photo: WAM

To hear more about the project, you can listen to Jamie Zvirzdin, creator of the project, in an interview with ABC Radio Australia.

To see more about the book or to buy a copy, go to the amazon store.