Expressing profound and sincere appreciation to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Na Kalai Wa’a, and the people of Hawaii and Polynesia and proclaiming the utmost recognition for their unwavering support and their commitment to the State of Yap and most especially to the people of Satawal Island and the traditional chiefs, “the Council of Tamol” of Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, in honoring and perpetuating the art of traditional wayfinding and voyaging of canoes.

WHEREAS Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug, from Satawal Island, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, shared his ancestral knowledge of traditional wayfinding with the people of Hawai’i, reviving traditional Polynesian navigation and reaffirming the seafaring legacy of the Pacific; and

WHEREAS the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Na Kalai Wa’a and the people of Hawaii and Polynesia continue to honor, uphold, and safeguard the sacred ancestral knowledge of the art of traditional wayfinding and navigation, reading of ocean swells, star positions, and bird flight patterns, which have been passed to them by Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug; and

WHEREAS in 1976, under the guidance of Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug, the Hōkūle’a, a traditional Polynesian double-hulled canoe, successfully voyaged from Hawai’i to Tahiti without the use of modern instruments, proving the viability of ancient navigation techniques and inspiring a cultural renaissance for Hawaii, Polynesia, and Micronesian peoples; and

WHEREAS the Hōkūle’a canoe voyage of 1976, under the guidance of Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug, the canoe “Chechemeni” voyage from Satawal Island to Okinawa in 1975 under the guidance of Rhaepinwoag Louis Rapanglug of Satawal Island, the voyage of the canoe “Tipiew” by Rhaepinwoag Louis Rapanglug to Fukuoka, Japan in 1987, along with the reopening of the sea route “Mathawalwol” in 1970 by Rhaepinwoag Louis Rapanglug, have all fostered renewed connections of heritage, strengthened cultural identity, prompted inter-generational learning, and revitalized the unity within the community of the Pacific peoples; and

WHEREAS Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug’s students, including Soauseraeg Nainoa Thompson, Soauseraeg Shorty Bertelmann, the PWO from Hawaii and Polynesia, and other Hawaiian voyagers, together with the support of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Na Kalai Wa’a and the people of Hawaii, embraced and continued his teachings and inspiring future generations of navigators and voyages of the Pacific; and

WHEREAS the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Na Kalai Wa’a, and the people of Hawaii and Polynesia continued to honor and respect the inheritance of knowledge in the art of traditional navigation from Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug, demonstrated by the voyage of the Makalii in 1999, the E-Mau voyage to Satawal Island to “bring the master home”, and the 2007 voyage of the Hōkūle’a and Maeisu to Satawal Island to deliver the grand gift of the Maeisu to Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug; and

WHEREAS some students from the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Na Kalai Wa’a, Hawaii, Polynesia, and Micronesia, including the native Hawaiians Soauseraeg Nainoa Thompson and Soauseraeg Shorty Bertelmann, were trained and mentored by Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug and finally received the traditional rites of PWO from Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug in 2007 and in 2008; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Eleventh Legislature of the State of Yap, Third Regular Session, 2025, that on behalf of the State of Yap, this Legislature hereby expresses profound and sincere appreciation to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Na Kalai Wa’a, and the people of Hawaii and Polynesia and proclaiming the utmost recognition for their unwavering support and their commitment to the State of Yap and most especially to the people of Satawal Island and the traditional chiefs, “the Council of Tamol” of Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, in honoring and perpetuating the art of traditional wayfinding and voyaging of canoes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commend the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Na Kalai Wa’a, and the people of Hawaii and Polynesia for their continued leadership in advancing the teachings of Rhaepinwoag Pius Mau Piailug, fostering cross-cultural learning, and inspiring new generations to connect with their ancestral seafaring heritage; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Soauseraeg Nainoa Thompson, President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society; Soauseraeg Shorty Bertelmann, of Na Kalai Wa’a; Governor of the State of Hawaii; United States Ambassador to the FSM; President of the Federated States of Micronesia; Secretary of the Department of FSM Foreign Affairs; Governor of the State of Yap; the Chairman of the Council of Pilung; Chairman of the Council of Tamol; and Satawal Island Traditional Chiefs.