I-Auckland – Uxhaxha lwezikebhe eziyisithupha ezinezikebhe ezimbili luzosuka eFrench Polynesia lubheke eHawaii ngonyaka ozayo ngemuva kokufuduka kwakudala okukhulu emhlabeni.
Kodwa uhambo lwamakhilomitha angu-4,000 (amamayela angu-2,500) olusuka enhliziyweni yendabuko ye-Polynesia esempumalanga esiqhingini sase-Raiatea ngabasebenzi abangu-16 abavela eziqhingini eziyisithupha zasePolynesia luhlose ukwenza okungaphezu kokudala kabusha umlando.
“Okubaluleke kakhulu kunombono wesikhathi esifushane wokuya eHawaii umbono wesikhathi eside wokuvuselela amakhono ohambo namasiko okhokho bethu,” kusho uTe Aturangi Nepia-Clamp, umphathi wephrojekthi yePacific Voyaging Canoes.
I-Maori New Zealander ithi lo msebenzi uzokwakha ukuziqhenya nokuzazi kwabantu basePolynesia ngokuqokomisa impumelelo yokhokho abahlalisa iziqhingi ezincane ezisakazeke olwandle olukhulu oluhlanganisa ingxenye yesine yomhlaba.
“Okhokho bethu benza lezi zikebhe ukuze zingangeni manzi ngezingodo ezinganele, besebenzisa amathuluzi amatshe ukuze bazibhole futhi bazihlanganise, bewahlanganisa ngentambo kakhukhunathi.
"Babe sebethatha lolu hambo olumangalisayo izinkulungwane zeminyaka ngaphambi kokuthi abeLungu baqiniseke ukuthi bazophuma emehlweni," etshela abe-AFP.
Cishe eminyakeni eyi-3,000 kuye kwengama-4,000 edlule, abantu baseLapita - okukholakala ukuthi bafuduka okokuqala besuka eningizimu yeChina ngaphambi kokusakazekela eSoutheast Asia - baqala ukuzinza eziqhingini zaseMelanesia nasentshonalanga yePolynesia.
Cishe eminyakeni eyinkulungwane kamuva inzalo yabo yaqala ukusabalala eziqhingini ezisempumalanga yePolynesia, ekugcineni yafinyelela ezindaweni ezisemaphandleni zasePacific eHawaii, eNew Zealand nase-Easter Island.
Ngaphandle kwamamephu noma amathuluzi, amatilosi asePolynesia asebenzisa izinkanyezi, ilanga, ulwazi lokukhukhumala kolwandle nemimoya ukuze aqondise eziqhingini ezincane ezigcwele ulwandle.
Uhambo olukhulu lwase lwehlile ngo-1500 futhi ngesikhathi abahloli bamazwe bokuqala base-Europe bevakashela iPacific ngekhulu le-17 nele-18, izikebhe ezinkulu ezihamba olwandle zazitholakala kuphela ezifundeni ezimbalwa.
Manje, egcekeni lesikebhe engalweni eyodwa ye-Waitemata Harbour yase-Auckland, izikebhe ezintathu ezinezimbotshana ezimbili zohambo olusha sezivele zakhiwe, kanti ezinye ezintathu kumele ziqedwe ngoNovemba.
Umsebenzi wezandla omuhle noqinile, owakhiwe ngomklamo ongokwesiko osuka eziqhingini zaseTuamotu eFrench Polynesia, unezigodlo ezimbili ezingamamitha angu-22 (amafidi angu-72) ubude, ohlanganiswe isiteji esisekela indlu encane engaphansi.
Izinsika ezimbili ziphakama ngamamitha angu-13 (amafidi angu-43) ngaphezu kwedekhi futhi i-paddle eqoshiwe engamamitha angu-10 ibuyela emuva phakathi kwama-hulls, ngayinye equkethe amabhantshi ayisishiyagalombili nendawo yokugcina.
Nakuba ifana ekwakhiweni, isikebhe ngasinye kweziyisithupha sizoqedwa ngemibala ehlukile, imidwebo nokuqoshwa okuvela eziqhingini esithunyelwa kuzo.
Ngenkathi imiklamo yendabuko, ama-hulls enziwe nge-fibreglass, nezinye izinto zesimanje nazo zisetshenzisiwe. Uhlobo olufanele lwamalogi manje cishe alutholakali futhi ukusetshenziswa kwe-fiberglass kusho ukuthi izikebhe zizohlala isikhathi eside.
“Into ebalulekile ngezikebhe ukuthi zithembekile kulokho okwaklanywa okhokho,” kusho uNepia-Clamp.
ENew Zealand, eziQhingini zaseCook, eFiji, eSamoa, e-American Samoa, naseTahiti okaputeni sebekhethiwe futhi izisebenzi zizoqala ukuziqeqeshela lolu hambo oluyingqopha-mlando, okungenzeka ukuthi kwenezelwa iqembu elivela eTonga kamuva.
Lolu hambo luzohlonipha ohambweni lwasendulo - lokho isazi-mlando saseNew Zealand uKerry Howe waseMassey University akuchaza ngokuthi "enye yama-epics amakhulu kakhulu abantu".
Ku-Vaka Moana (isikebhe esihamba olwandle), incwadi ethi Howe ehlelwe ngokuhlaliswa kwePacific, uthi abantu basePacific Islanders bathuthukise ubuchwepheshe bokuqala bamanzi aluhlaza emhlabeni.
“Ngoseyili kanye ne-outrigger, bakha imikhumbi eyinkimbinkimbi ehamba olwandle futhi benza kanjalo ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka ngaphambi kokuba abantu baye kwenye indawo.”
Kuze kube yiminyaka yamuva, izazi-mlando eziningi zazikholelwa ukuthi abantu basePolynesia babesakazeke ePacific ngengozi, ngezikebhe ezazisakazwa umoya ongemuhle.
“Ngiyazi lapho ngisesikoleni ngafundiswa ukuthi okhokho bethu basePolynesia babengabahambi ngengozi, bavele bashayisana nomhlabathi,” kusho uNepia-Clamp, owahileleka ekuvuselelweni kohambo eminyakeni engu-30 edlule.
“Ababona abahambi ngengozi, bahlehla baya phambili uma sebethole umhlaba, babenenjongo enkulu ngabakwenzile.”
Ngeminyaka yawo-1970 i-Polynesia Voyaging Society yasungulwa ukuze kuvuselelwe amakhono asendulo okuhamba ngomkhumbi nokuzulazula eHawaii kanye nokuqinisekisa ukuthi iPolynesia yayingaxazululwa kusetshenziswa izikebhe zohambo ezinemihuzuko emibili kanye nokuzulazula okungasebenzisi izinsimbi.
Kamuva eNew Zealand naseziQhingini zaseCook, kwakhiwa izikebhe ezintsha zikaseyili, ezihlanganisa izikebhe zaseHawaii ohambweni olusuka eRaiatea luya eHawaii ngo-1995.
Manje iPacific Voyaging Canoes ingumzamo wokwandisa imvuselelo esifundeni futhi ikhuthaze abantu abaningi ukuthi bafunde amakhono endabuko.
Umlingisi waseNew Zealand u-Rawiri Paratene, isihlabani sefilimu i-Whale Rider, ubambe iqhaza elibalulekile ekwakhiweni kwalo mqondo nasekutholeni uxhaso ku-Okeanos ocean environment foundation ezinze eJalimane.
Ngale kohambo lwangonyaka ozayo, iNepia-Clamp ifuna izinhlangano ezihambela imikhumbi eziqhingini ezihlukahlukene ukuba ziqhubeke nokusebenzisa izikebhe ukuze zifundise intsha yaseziqhingini amakhono alahleka enkathini yokuhamba ngendiza.
Usebonile kakade ukuziqhenya okudalwe ukuvuselelwa kohambo eHawaii.
“Singene ekilasini eliseMolokai, usilingi uhlotshiswe ngezinkanyezi futhi zonke izingane zingasho noma yisiphi inkanyezi ebilapho.
“Babeziqhenya ngokuthi amadlozi angathola indlela futhi bayawazi amakhono abawasebenzisayo.
"Lokho kuyisikhuthazo esikhulu sokuziqhenya kunoma yiliphi isiko lomdabu."
