Hawaiian, Alaskan canoe voyages focus of new exhibit

An exhibit comparing Hawaiian and Alaskan canoe voyaging traditions and celebrating the Hokule'a's five-month journey to the western Pacific will open tomorrow at the Hawaii Maritime Center.

"The Canoe: An Alaskan and Hawaiian Tradition" was produced in cooperation with the Alaskan Native Heritage Center.

Among items featured will be Hawaiian and Alaskan canoe-building materials, Hawaiian voyaging artifacts and Alaskan items and information about Athabasca, Yup'ik and Cup'ik, Aleut, Inupiat and Alutiiq peoples.

The Bishop Museum has a Canoe Do-It outreach program to teach children in public and private schools Hawaiian traditions of canoe building and voyaging.

The new Hawaii Maritime Center offers a field trip program where children learn about canoes.

For more information about the exhibit, call the maritime center at 536-6373 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.

The maritime center is at Pier 7 in Honolulu Harbor across from the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $4.50 for youths 4 to 12 and $6 for seniors 65 and older. Children 3 and under are free.