GOALS
Building the Halevaka (Custom Canoe House):
The Construction of a permanent hale vaka (canoe house) at Taumako to Shelter the vaka, house and train students, carry out vaka maintenance, and asa store for the organization's equipment and archival materials.
Building of traditional canoes or Vaka's and support vessel:
a) Construction or purchase of a support vessel for Taumako that can be used as an escort boat for vaka voyages, and as a carrier of people and cargo within Temotu,
b) Building of Ocean going Tepuke, Building of Inshore Te Alo lili and building of coastal Alo uwa.
Education:
a) Training of Taumako students in construction, maintenance, and sailing of tepuke and/ or tealolili within the Duff Islands,
b) Sailing the vaka based on Taumako on traditional trading routes, and reviving traditional exchange networks in the Santa Cruz islands and beyond. This may also lead torevival of ancient crops and crafts formerly used in exchanges,
c) Establishing the Lata School of traditional navigation, whose programs would include, but not be limited to, cultivation, selection, and preparation of plant materials for vaka building, construction techniques, navigation and sailing skills, protocol, vaka maintenance. Students will participate in and eventually lead voyages,
d) Encouraging young Taumakoan to learn spiritual practices necessary for planning and executing voyages,
e) Engage women in crafts of weaving of mats and baskets and kaha and traditional food preparations and other artifacts,
f) Women in crafts of weaving to train young Taumako girls and youth in weaving in order to pass the skill to the next generation in Taumako.
Documentation:
a) Documenting activities such as vaka construction, sailing, food preparation, craft production, participation of members in cultural exchanges etc,
b) To document the processes described in sections 1-3 above, and create an archive of writings, music, photographs, videos, and other educational materials designed to benefit Nga Taumako, other Solomon lslands researchers who have been approved by the Holau Vaka Taumako Registered Trustees Board. These materials will include scholarly and popular articles, books, custom stories, Jrtwork, archival video and audio recordings, television broadcasts and other productions.
c) The Association's primary archive of these materials shall be at Taumako, Duff lslands, and shall be administered by the Board of Trustees, which may appoint one or more librarians or custodians for the archive. Those whom the Board appoints shall have the responsibility or keeping the materials in safe storage and good condition. They shall also be subordinate to the Board's directives. This means that they cannot sell, trade, alter, remove, disperse, or destroy the records in their charge without a direct order from the Holau Vaka Taumako Board of Trustees.
Backup copies of the archive's materials shall be lodged abroad Ideally these should be curated in both hard and digital forms.
To use the archived materials for production of educational materials that can both inform the world about Nga Taumako's distinctive culture and wisdom, and preserve this wisdom for future generations. Any financial gains derived from publication of these materials shall be used to benefit the community, and their copyrights shall remain the property of Nga Taumako, to be retained and administered by the Holau Vaka Taumako Association.
To train Nga Taumako in modern techniques of documentation, publication, edition, and preservation of video recordings, Writings, etc. Help them produce educational materials that can be used in schools on Taumako and elsewhere. Whenever possible, bring to Taumako experts who can teach the necessary skills, and/or help students to study in facilities that offer advanced training.