HAWAII – A prestigious award has been bestowed upon a book telling the story of Hawaii’s treasured Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe. It was announced on Friday that the book HAWAIKI RISING – HOKULE’A, NAINOA THOMPSON AND THE HAWAIIAN RENAISSANCE was honored with a Nautilus Award. Big Island Video News received the following notification about the award:

The book tells the story of building and sailing Hokule’a, a replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe, and the rediscovery of the ancient science of Polynesian non-instrument navigation. It is also the saga of the Hawaiian Renaissance – a revival of Hawaiian culture sparked by voyaging the ancient sea-routes of the ancestors. Available on Amazon.com.

Nautilus Book Awards is an annual accolade of books in the genre of social and environmental justice. Established in the U.S. in 1998, it is considered a “major” book award and has been conferred to prominent authors including The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Barbara Kingsolver, Thich Nhat Hanh, Amy Goodman, Charles, Prince of Wales and Desmund Tutu.

The award carries a monetary prize and seeks to recognize books in multiple categories that “make a difference and inspire.” Most Nautilus Awards have been granted to books from major academic presses such as Stanford University Press, Princeton University Press, University of Michigan Press, University of California Press, and Columbia University Press as well as large commercial publishers such as Penguin, W.W. Norton, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Little, Brown. However, several independent presses, including Island and Bloomsbury, are represented in the registry of past awards. The social networks Goodreads and Librarything maintain lists of Nautilus Award recipient books on their websites. The award is named for the nautilus shell, as a symbol of wisdom and growth. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

The Nautilus Awards represents “Better Books for a Better World.”

The Nautilus Awards seeks and promotes well-written and produced books with messages about caring for, understanding, and improving every aspect of our lives and relationships.
 We look for exceptional literary contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change as well as to the worlds of art, creativity and inspirational reading for children, teens and young adults. (Courtesy Nautilus Awards website)


Author Sam Low was in Hilo last year, where he and Nanoa Thompson discussed the book and the history of the Hōkūle‘a at the Imiloa Astronomy Center (at the 11 minute mark).

Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia are one month away from their planned departure to Tahiti, the first international leg of a four-year sail around the world. The voyage has been given the name “Mālama Honua,” representing the culture of caring in our communities and our island home.