KAREN EARNSHAW The evolution of Marshall Islands canoes this week reached yet another milestone thanks to a small group of people “learning from the past for the present and the future.” This philosophy is a motivating factor for Germany’s Henrik Richter-Alten, who first stepped through the doors of Waan Aelon in Majel in January, 2018. […]
We stopped by the Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) program in Delap the other day to find master canoe builder and trainer Binton Daniel making “ekwal,” the rope made from coconut fiber that traditionally was used for the lashings of outrigger canoes. We got into a brief discussion and we asked […]
Culture week was a great way to showcase canoe culture in local schools. During the week at the end of September, Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) Director Alson Kelen and Traditional Skills Trainer Binton Daniel and Public School System staff visited Rairok Elementary School to engage the students in learning about […]
A visit to Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) last week allowed a College of the Marshall Islands Marshallese class to immerse themselves in the traditional knowledge of navigation and canoe building. The trip was led by college instructor Risi Matthew. Director of WAM Alson Kelen and expert canoe builder Binton Daniel […]
History is in the making this week in Geneva, Switzerland. The Waan Aelon in Majel team of Director Alson Kelen and canoe builder/trainer Binton Daniel, and assisted by Ailuk Senator Maynard Alfred, reassembled a specially made outrigger canoe by the shore of Lake Geneva earlier this week. The two-person canoe was built by WAM in […]
Truth be told: if you’re going to visit Waan Aelon in Majol, you will learn a thing or two or tree. Yes. Tree. WAM has been utilizing different trees in its mixed curriculum of classes in the morning and hands on craft work in the afternoon.
