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Hawai?i Has Lost a Master Navigator: Chad K?lepa Baybayan

Kaipo K??aha
/
??iwi TV
H?k?le?a Captain and Master Pwo Navigator Chad K?lepa Baybayan died suddenly Thursday while traveling with family in Seattle. ";s:

Chad K?lepa Baybayan died suddenly on Thursday—after a lifetime perpetuating the tradition of Polynesian navigation—including many years aboard the H?k?le?a. He navigated not only the ocean waters, but also the challenges of leadership—and mentoring the next generation of voyagers.

The passing of Hawaiian master navigator Chad K?lepa Baybayan came as a shock to many, including fellow H?k?le?a crew member and master navigator Nainoa Thompson. 

“It?s not that you don?t believe it. You don?t want to believe it,” says Thompson, “And the only way I dealt with this was to come down here, next to the canoe. I believe a part of him will always be here.”

Baybayan was born in Lahaina, Maui, and first sailed on H?k?le?a in 1975. He was aboard all of H?k?le?a’s major voyages, and became mentor to future seafarers. Kaimanaonalani Barcarse  was one of them—praising Baybayan for his ability to bring out the best in everyone.

“Hana ?o ia i loa?a ka w? e k? kekahi a ?auamo kekahi i ke kuleana,” says Barcarse, “A ke ?auamo ?ia k?l? kuleana, ma laila e lilo ai ?o ia i alaka?i.”

Barcarse says Baybayan created opportunities forpeople to engage, take responsibility, and really step into their role as leaders. 34-year-old apprentice navigator Lehua Kamalu knows this well. She and Baybayan’s daughter Kala Tanaka trained under Baybayan on H?k?le?a’s World Wide Voyage.

“We never like to think about the times that our teachers aren't going to be here anymore,” says Kamalu, “But it's important to remember your role.”

And picking it up, she says, because they’ve carried it for so long. Baybayan was a student of renowned Micronesian navigator Papa Mau Piailug of Satawal. In 2007, Baybayan became one of onlya handful of Hawaiian voyagers along with Thompson to reach the level of master pwo navigator – a title bestowed upon them by Papa Mau.

“The pwo is like you just graduated from college. Your teacher lets you go deep sea. You’re still the student. It was really, really important that he said that,” says Thompson, “He said you only become master when you die, and you past it on to someone else. If that’s the criteria for master and traditional navigation, Kalepa’s gotta be ranked as the world’s greatest navigator.”

Chad K?lepa Baybayan was 64 years old.

Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi is a general assignment reporter at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Her commitment to her Native Hawaiian community and her fluency in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi has led her to build a de facto ʻōiwi beat at the news station. Send your story ideas to her at khiraishi@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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