Nainoa Thompson, Navigating the Future

On a recent trip to Fukuoka, Japan, I got to spend some extra time with Nainoa Thompson. It was one of those times when getting away helped me see someone more clearly—in this case, Nainoa, and through him, the issues of leadership. Nainoa is, of course, best known as the first Hawaiian in modern times to master the traditional art of non-instrument navigation.

Nainoa's great-grandfather, a man named Isaac Hakuole Harbottle, had studied in Meiji Japan. He was a favorite of King Kalakaua, who sent him out to learn Japanese history and culture and to teach people about Hawaii. Part of the king's intention was to strengthen ties between Japan and the Kingdom of Hawaii at a time when the United States was increasingly exerting pressure on the Hawaiian nation.

The occasion for Nainoa's and my recent visit was the 25th anniversary of the state of Hawaii's Sister City/Sister Prefecture relationship with Fukuoka.

Fukuoka is Japan's most important city in the south, somewhat more relaxed than Tokyo, but nonetheless dynamic. Nainoa's mission was to talk about the pending visit of the famous canoe Hokule'a to Japan. In the spirit of his great-grandfather, this visit will be good for our relationship with Japan.

I was curious to see how he would handle this, because I remembered a time when a shy young Nainoa stuck to the canoe and avoided the admiring public. In Fukuoka, he sketched his vision for the voyage as both a learning experience and a cultural celebration. As he spoke, it was easy to imagine the canoe being greeted by vast crowds of people, the way it has been greeted in Polynesia. Such events likely will bring forth thousands of hula dancers, who are now everywhere in Japan.

He and I talked further. It became apparent that he had been challenged to exert leadership by an early crisis in the canoe's history. This crisis occurred in the early '80s, when the canoe was swamped by a storm and one of the crewmembers was lost at sea. Organization was weak, and acrimony high. Along with his father, the late Myron "Pinky" Thompson, Nainoa quietly took charge, stressing safety, crew training, education and the development of a wide base of skills.

In pursuit of his mission, Nainoa became an excellent speaker. The canoe has voyaged much of the Pacific, and the results have been wonderful for everyone.

Nainoa has become a public symbol of the Hawaiian renaissance, but he obviously is not going to rest on his acclaim. He is a trustee of Kamehameha Schools and vitally interested in education. He also speaks candidly about outside investment in Hawaii, contending that people in Hawaii should ask, investment for what purpose? To what end? For whose benefit? I share those concerns and was glad to hear them voiced.

Nainoa is asking what must be asked in addressing the future. The voice that Nainoa is constantly developing is the right one for us in Hawaii: self-confident and outgoing, valuing what is unique about our place while relating ourselves to the wider world. I have often said that, by understanding who we are, we can make our greatest contribution.

Nainoa makes my point.

George R. Ariyoshi, chairman and cofounder of Convergence CT and Cellular Bioengineering, is the former president of Prince Resorts Hawaii Inc. He is active in international business circles, particularly in Asia. An attorney by profession, Ariyoshi served in elective office in Hawaii from 1954 to 1986. He served as governor of Hawaii from 1973 to 1986 and was the first Japanese American to be elected governor in the United States.

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