文／鍾承育 Cheng-yu Jung

對許多太平洋群島上的原住民而言，獨木舟是重要的文化資產，將他們與祖先串連在一起。獨木舟是起源，是故事，是有力且如詩般之地球的隱喻。當航行在海上時，她是平衡、和諧、團隊合作、與尊敬的體現。當船身損壞時，航海家們會立即修補她，不讓她沉沒。航海家們把地球比喻成獨木舟，當環境受到威脅，就象徵了船身受到損壞。

基於此信念，來自太平洋各群島的航海家組成了「太平洋航海者基金會」，以傳統的航海技術，駕馭他們的vaka moanas（航海獨木舟）多次在太平洋各群島之間進行長程航行，傳達海洋保育最迫切的訊息。來自美國夏威夷的航海家Nainoa Thompson，在1976年駕著名為Hōkūle`a的獨木舟，從夏威夷啟航，橫越2,500英哩到大溪地。Thompson的航海故事啟發了更多太平洋群島原住民航海的夢。

2011年4月來自太平洋各群島的原住民航海家抱持著單純的使命：以祖先的智慧，結合現代科學把他們帶向永續的未來，治癒受到創傷的海洋，與振興他們文化傳統中航海技術。由7艘航海獨木舟組成的船隊從紐西蘭出發，經過大溪地、馬克薩斯群島、夏威夷、舊金山、墨西哥西岸、加拉巴哥群島，最後在2012年7月抵達所羅門群島。Mike Single導演將這段航海的故事拍成Our Blue Canoe紀錄片，希望能藉由這段航海的故事喚起海洋保育的意識。

Voyaging canoe is cultural heritage linking the Pacific Islanders and their ancestors. She is the origin, stories, and a powerful, poetic metaphor. She embodies balance, harmony, teamwork, and respect. When her hull is damaged, seafarers would soon repair the hull to prevent her from sinking. Voyaging canoe thus symbolizes the Earth, and the hull damage symbolizes the pressing environmental crisis.

Seafarers from the Pacific Islands organized Pacific Voyagers Foundation. They aim to deliver urgent message of marine conservation by navigating vaka moanas (voyaging canoes) between islands. In 1976, the Hawaiian seafarer Nainoa Thompson sailed a voyaging canoe across 2,500 miles from Hawaii to Tahiti. His seafaring story inspired many Pacific indigenous people to sail on the open ocean.

Seafarers from archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean carried a simple mission: Use the wisdom of their ancestors combining with modern science to propel them to a sustainable future, to heal the wounded ocean, and to revitalize voyaging in their cultural traditions. Seven vaka moanas left New Zealand, past Tahiti, the Marquesas, and Hawaii, and reached San Francisco. They sailed to Cabo San Lucas and the Galapagos, and ended their journey in the Solomon Islands. Mike Single filmed this epic journey--a documentary entitled Our Blue Canoe--to raise awareness of marine conservation.