Leveraging Indigenous Canoes

The transition from a primarily subsistence society to one based on a capitalistic and jobs-based economy that began when the Northern Mariana Islands became a U.S. Commonwealth in the 1970s, has not been easy for the Native community that is made up of the Indigenous Chamorros who settled the Marianas about 4,000 years ago and the Carolinians who settled in the Marianas starting about 300 years ago. While some Native families have done well, most have endured high unemployment and poverty for generations. There has also been a marked decline in traditional cultural practices and healthy lifestyles that has caused an epidemic of non-communicable diseases, and a pattern of emigration by Native young people out of the CNMI in search of jobs and better opportunities. Forty-three percent of Native youth in the 15-19 years age group emigrate out of the CNMI before they enter the workforce. A main causative factor in Native unemployment is that most businesses, especially in tourism which is the CNMI's only large industry, employ mostly Asian workers. Ninety-four percent of total employers surveyed in 2016 employed Asian workers while only 47.2% employed Native or Polynesian workers. Analysis of hiring and pay patterns show that Asian workers, many of whom are contracted foreign workers, are less expensive to employers than Native workers. 

As a consequence of Native emigration out of the CNMI and Asian immigration into the CNMI, the Native population, currently at about 14,000 people, has changed from 95% of the community to about 33% of the community since the creation of the Commonwealth. This is a long and continuing trend that is contributing to the rapid decline of Native languages and cultural erosion.

The solution is to create and control a niche in the tourism industry in which the Native worker will be highly competitive. Before the disruption of tourism by the pandemic, over half a million tourists were visiting the CNMI each year. These tourists consistently asked for three things: more activities, genuine cultural experiences, and the chance to interact with the Native people. Providing tourists with the chance to experience sailing on a traditional Chamorro canoe with a Native crew is a highly appealing response. 500 Sails has been giving the public free canoe rides on weekends for years. These rides are popular and tourists are excited to join in.

The Indigenous technology used in these canoes was developed by our Chamorro ancestors who built fast canoes for travel between and beyond our islands. They made use of triangular structures to create light weight yet strong canoes. They developed an asymmetric hull that reduced downwind drift and lifted out of the water at high speeds to overcome displacement resistance and go even faster. Their speed is legendary. They were clocked by European mariners at over 20 miles per hour in the 1600s. One of England's greatest Naval officers, Admiral George Anson, had this to say about the Chamorro canoes in 1742:

"[Their flying proas] are so singular and extraordinary an invention that it would do honour to any nation, however dextrous and acute, since, if we consider the aptitude of this proa to the navigation of these islands, which [require the vessels] to be particularly fitted for sailing with the wind upon the beam; or if we examine the uncommon simplicity and ingenuity of its fabric and contrivance, or the extraordinary velocity with which it moves, we shall in each of these articles, find it worthy of our admiration, and deserving a place amongst the mechanical productions of the most civilised nations where arts and sciences have most eminently flourished..."

The Indigenous ingenuity and engineering that impressed Admiral Anson is still relevant and enabling today after its revival following 265 years of absence. We can use this technology that helped the Chamorro people thrive on tiny islands in a vast ocean to thrive as a maritime people once again.

The project will put 20 Chamorro canoes on the beaches near the tourist hotels, each with three sailors that include a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, a Red Cross certified waterfront lifeguard, and an Red Cross certified first responder. Teams of four canoes at five locations will each have two beach support people to greet, instruct, and talk with the tourists. In all, there would be about 90 jobs created for these teams to operate 7 days a week. The canoes rides will bring in enough revenue to pay all the staff, maintain the canoes, cover administrative costs, and more.

There will be more jobs maintaining and building canoes, and new canoe related businesses can be expected, such as sail making, paddle making, and charters.

The solution serves the Chamorro and Carolinian members of the Native community, many of whom are on public assistance. They need jobs that pay well and that Native workers are able to successfully compete for.  Because tourists will seek a traditional sailing canoe crewed by local Native people, there is little chance for non-Natives to successfully compete in this role.

Many Native workers lack the business skills needed to be successful running a business. The solution will help them overcome this obstacle because 500 Sails will build the canoes, provide free training for the sailors and beach staff, handle sales and marketing, and will oversee the beach canoe operation to ensure that the highest levels of safety and professionalism are maintained. 500 Sails will take care of all the business administration so that the Native staff can concentrate on doing what they are naturally good at - being welcoming and caring hosts. 500 Sails is a non-profit organization so generated revenue will be used primarily for wages that will be high, and for the administration costs, and to pay for training for sailors, including providing U.S. Coast Guard and Red Cross certified instructors, and for building and maintaining canoes and related facilities and equipment.  Beyond that, any remaining income can be used for program costs - programs like teaching swimming, water safety, sailing, and canoe building. This approach is designed to make the entry into these new traditional maritime jobs accessible and profitable for the Native workers.

The return of wind-powered traditional canoes will help fishers reach ocean fisheries without the burden of high fuel costs that reduce profitability. They will also help subsistence fishers put high quality fish protein on the table. Further, it is anticipated that new maritime businesses based on Indigenous canoes will be launched, and 500 Sails' Cultural Maritime Training Center trains and prepares Native workers for maritime jobs and professions. 500 Sails will encourage Native entrepreneurs will to start run these new businesses.

The solution benefits the Chamorro and Carolinian community in the Northern Mariana Islands. 500 Sails has been serving this population since 2014 when we registered our organization as a CNMI Nonprofit and federally recognized 501(c)(3) organization. 500 Sails' leadership, including the Board of Directors is 90% Chamorro and Carolinian and includes representation from all islands and both the CNMI Indigenous Affairs Office and the CNMI Carolinian Affairs Office that serve the Chamorro and Carolinian native population respectively.

All our community programs are free and open to the public. We teach swimming, sailing, canoe building, and we provide cultural and educational outreach in the community, especially in the schools and at public events.

We also provide professional and vocational maritime training at our Cultural Maritime Training Center (CMTC).  CMTC tracks include U.S. Coast Guard certified training that leads to OUPV "6-Pack" Captain, Master Captain, and Able Seaman licenses, American Red Cross certified training for Water Safety Instructors and Lifeguards, Traditional Canoe Fabrication and Repair, Traditional Canoe Sailing and Voyaging, and Carolinian Traditional Navigation. The training at the CMTC is mostly free or highly discounted for Native participants that need financial assistance. 

For more information about 500 Sails and our programs please see our website at https://www.500Sails.org and our 5-Year Strategic Plan at https://www.500sails.org/docs/...

We are extremely well-positioned to deliver this solution. We have been building canoes based strictly on traditional designs since even before we formed 500 Sails. Our canoes are student built and we have strong working relationships in the local community, especially in the schools and the CNMI's college. We deliver a wide range of free, culturally based programs in the community.  In addition to our Board of Directors, we have cultural leaders on staff, including two Master Carolinian Navigators, and have representatives from government agencies that specifically serve the Chamorro and Carolinian community as advisors and partners.

We do extensive outreach in the community that is designed to educate the students and the greater public about our lost maritime traditions that we are reviving, and the benefits to them in terms of quality of life including improved mental and physical health.

We are also engaged with the business community and have hotels lined up, waiting to have canoes on their beaches. The solution is 100% in alignment with the strategies of the Marianas Visitors Authority and the CNMI government's Commonwealth Economic Development Strategy.

We have been giving canoe rides to the local community on our 27-foot traditional Chamorro canoes on the weekends for years now. The canoes and the beach operations have been improved through these experiences, and  the participants include tourist who heard about our free rides from their hotels.  We have a well-developed operation plan that has been shared with the first hotel where we will establish sailing for tourists.  Now we are getting the last things in place to start with one canoe on one beach. These last things include government permits, insurance, and point-of-sail devices to take payment on the beach. What we learn from this first canoe will inform and improve operations as we expand.

We are moving carefully and slowly toward implementing this solution for a number of reasons beyond the need for funds. This will be a first step into revenue generation for us. As a non-profit we have been relying on grants and donations. My wife and I co-founded 500 Sails and have grown with it. We have accomplished quite a bit, such as learning to build and sail canoes, establishing a canoe house and a boat yard, developing and running a wide range of community programs. But this is different. We will be out there competing with experienced, and well-funded businesses. We will be trying to get our local people employed and running businesses in a business environment that is almost purely profit motivated. In other words, the focus of our business community is to make money, while our focus has been to help families thrive. So we have a lot to learn, not only about running a competitive business operation, but also how to support Indigenous entrepreneurs who want to make a go of it in the new traditional maritime industry that we are creating.

I am the Team Lead. My father is a Chamorro born in Saipan and raised in Guam. I was raised in the Chamorro diaspora in California and also on Guam. I have been highly active as a cultural person since I was young. My education is from the University of Hawaii at Manoa where I received a BS Degree in Tropical Agriculture and I had a farm on Guam. I worked at University of Guam in Agriculture Extension after college and in the CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife.  I am a Chamorro community activist in the CNMI where I co-founded Paganwatch and the Sakman Chamorro organization. I am also Vice President of the Northern Marianas Descent Corporation that advocates for the Indigenous people.