Excited that it got published! I was blessed to be a part of the TED-Ed Innovative Educators cohort this past school year. Having met the animators at TED HQ in New York, I saw the potential and reach of this platform. At the time, the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage was taking place and Disney’s Moana was all the rage. The timing was right.

This lesson was a collaboration with Hōkūleʻa crew member Shantell De Silva. We worked on the script with a team from TED-Ed (a writer, a voice actor, and an animator.) The entire process took about 6 months.

I am pleased (and relieved) that the TED-Ed lesson has been well-received. It was an opportunity to introduce a Hawaiian culture-based lesson to the world. I am proud that this lesson shared ʻōlelo and connected a global community of learners to the Hōkūleʻa. My hope is that the lesson will help to tell the story of the indigenous wisdom and “moonshot” achievements of our ancestors.

Here is the link to the full lesson.