[ WRIGHT BOWMAN / 1907-2003 ]
STAR-BULLETIN / 2001
Wright Bowman, shown here carving a koa-wood paddle, worked on the voyaging canoe Hokule'a and helped to revitalize Hawaiian culture through his craft. Bowman died Dec. 30 at age 96.
Craftsman leaves
legacy of inspiration
Wright Elemakule Bowman, who died Dec. 30 at age 96, spent most of his life making beautiful things out of wood, but he is primarily remembered as a craftsman who inspired generations of artisans.
"I don't know where to start or when to end, talking about Wright," said artist-historian Herb Kawainui Kane, who worked with Bowman on the voyaging canoe Hokule'a. "He trained generation after generation of talented artists at Kamehameha Schools. He certainly infected me with his enthusiasm."
Born Nov. 5, 1907, in Hilo, Bowman graduated from Kamehameha in 1928. He became an apprentice patternmaker for General Electric before returning to Hawaii during the Great Depression. He ran Kamehameha's wood shop for a quarter-century before striking out on his own as a craftsman. During his time at Kamehameha, Bowman became known as the teacher who helped revitalize Hawaiian culture with his beautiful reproductions of ancient paddles, canoes, digging sticks and bowls, as well as furniture from Hawaiian woods such as koa.
Kane turned to Bowman to create the massive ash-wood 'iako, the crossbars that tie the hulls together.
"We got the ash in from the mainland, each individually wrapped in paper, like gifts," recalled Kane. "Wright lofted my drawings of the 'iako spars and created these immensely strong things of beauty. He was the only guy I depended on for that critical work."
Bowman's canoe-building legacy was being passed on to his son, "Wrighto" Bowman Jr., who carved Hawaii's second voyaging canoe, Hawai'iloa -- but Wrighto died unexpectedly in 1997.
Artist David Behlke, who designed one of Bowman's last exhibits, said: "His work on Hokule'a is his monument. He set a standard of craftsmanship coupled with content that is the torchbearer for generations of people."
There will be a memorial service from noon to 2 p.m. next Saturday at Bishop Memorial Chapel on the Kamehameha Schools campus. Bowman is survived by daughter Lee Claire "Maggie" Bowman Graham; son William Kent; sister Lani Holmes; brothers Waldo, Kent and Jan; and numerous grand- and great-grandchildren.
