A kamuynomi was held in the afternoon of June 16 in front of Hokule’a. The master of the ceremony was one of the most respectable ekashi(“elder” in Ainu language), Mr. Urakawa Haruzo. Mr. Urakawa was born in Urakawa area of Hokkaido and is now living in Kimitsu-city of Chiba prefecture. He is now the president of Tokyo Ainu Society.

The connection between the voyaging ohana of Hawai’i and Ainu goes back when Nainoa Thompson meets some Ainu people at the house of Hoshikawa Jun. Nainoa told me at Suo-Oshima that the first person who offered him to come to Japan by Hokule’a is Ainu. Although there are some discussions but the person is thought to be Ashiri Lela, a Hidaka Ainu woman.

Then the original Hokule’a crewmember Tiger Espere met the young Ainu leader and traditional Ainu canoe builder Mr. Yuki Koji around the year 2000. Tiger became the mentor of Mr. Yuki and his group. Later Yuki went to Maui to join International Canoe Festival in 2004 and made one itaomachipu(traditional sailing canoe of Ainu people).

In the mid May, the secretary of Yuki’s group Mr. Fujisaki Tatsuya asked me to bring a letter to the crewmembers of Hokule’a. I agreed with that and went to Suo-Oshima, then met Mr. Thompson and passed him it. Mr. Thompson read the letter and made a telephone call to Mr. Fujisaki and invited Mr. Yuki to the closing event at Yokohama.

And there was another action in the Ainu community. An Ainu community member Kisara had seen the welcoming ceremony at Yokohama and thought that there should be the greeting from Ainu. She asked the ekashi to do a kamuynomi for Hokule’a. Mr. Urakawa embraced the offer and came to Yokohama. Mr. Yuki and a young Ainu group “Ainu Rebels” also joined the kamuynomi. Moreover, Mr. Yuki met Mrs. Pomai and shared some storied about Tiger Espere in front of the canoe. Mrs. Pomai invited Mr. Yuki to come to Kawaihae to board Makali’i. Mr. Yuki delighted about the offer and promised someday he will.

Later in the evening, Mr. Thompson met the ekashi and apologized his absence at the kamuynomi (he must do the lecture). Then Ainu people presented Mr. Thompson two talismans of the safe voyage for the each hull of the canoe. Captain Mike Taylor also was presented a talisman for Kama Hele.

Ainu Rebels Website (English)
http://www.ainupride.com/ainurebels/en/us.html

Mr. Yuki’s Repun Kamui (a traditional Ainu canoe dedicated to Tiger Espere) Project website (Japanese)
http://www.shinra.or.jp/ainutour/

Kamuynomi photos (by Kato Kosei, free to use)
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/hokulea2006/47681176.html