A very special boat will stop in Haines on Monday. The Hōkūleʻa is a 60-foot double hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe. The Polynesian Voyage Society will officially launch a round-the-world sailing trip from Juneau mid-June. The society has long standing ties to the Lingít community.
Judson Brown, of Haines and Klukwan, collaborated with the society for decades starting in the seventies In the 90s, he helped provide logs for building the canoe. The Hōkūleʻa is stopping in Yakutat, Hoonah and Haines to honor the people who provided that help.
The Chilkoot Indian Association issued a press release to invite the community of Haines to welcome the Hōkūleʻa on Monday at 1pm. There will be a potlatch style dinner at the Haines school cafeteria, participants are asked to bring a dessert or side dish to share.
The exact timing of the event will depend on weather and tides.
