Auckland - Gulu la mabwato asanu ndi limodzi okhala ndi mabwato awiri lidzanyamuka kuchokera ku French Polynesia kupita ku Hawaii chaka chamawa pambuyo pa kusamuka kwakukulu kwambiri padziko lapansi.
Koma ulendo wamakilomita 4,000 (makilomita 2,500) kuchokera kudera lakummawa kwa Polynesia pachilumba cha Raiatea ndi anthu 16 amphamvu ochokera kuzilumba zisanu ndi chimodzi za Polynesia akufuna kuchita zambiri kuposa kukonzanso mbiri.
"Chofunika kwambiri kuposa masomphenya a nthawi yochepa opita ku Hawaii ndi masomphenya a nthawi yaitali a kukonzanso luso la paulendo ndi miyambo ya makolo athu," anatero Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp, woyang'anira ntchito ya Pacific Voyaging Canoes.
Nyuzipepala ya ku New Zealand ya ku Maori inati ntchitoyi idzachititsa kuti anthu a ku Polynesia azinyaditsa komanso kuti azidziwika bwino posonyeza zimene makolo akale anakwanitsa kuchita m’zilumba zing’onozing’ono zomwazikana panyanja yaikulu yoposa gawo limodzi mwa magawo anayi alionse a dziko lapansi.
“Makolo athu ankapanga mabwato amenewa kuti asalowe madzi ndi matabwa osakwanira, pogwiritsa ntchito zida zamwala pobowola ndi kuwakhota, n’kumawamanga pamodzi ndi chingwe cha ulusi wa kokonati.
"Kenako adayenda maulendo odabwitsawa zaka masauzande Azungu asanakhale ndi chidaliro chochoka osayang'ana malo," adauza AFP.
Pafupifupi zaka 3,000 mpaka 4,000 zapitazo, anthu a Lapita - omwe amakhulupirira kuti adasamuka kumwera kwa China asanafalikire kumwera chakum'mawa kwa Asia - adayamba kukhazikika pazilumba za Melanesia ndi kumadzulo kwa Polynesia.
Pafupifupi zaka 1,000 pambuyo pake, mbadwa zawo zinayamba kufalikira kuzilumba zakum’maŵa kwa Polynesia, ndipo pomalizira pake zinakafika kumadera akumidzi a Pacific a Hawaii, New Zealand ndi Easter Island.
Popanda mapu kapena zida, oyendetsa ngalawa a ku Polynesia ankagwiritsa ntchito nyenyezi, dzuwa, chidziwitso cha mafunde a m'nyanja ndi mphepo kuwongolera njira yopita kuzilumba zazing'ono zomwe zili ndi nyanja.
Ulendo waukulu unali utachepa pofika 1500 ndipo pamene ofufuza oyambirira a ku Ulaya anapita ku Pacific m'zaka za zana la 17 ndi 18, mabwato akuluakulu oyenda panyanja ankapezeka m'madera ochepa okha.
Tsopano, m'bwalo la ngalawa pafupi ndi doko lakutali la Waitemata Harbor ku Auckland, mabwato atatu okhala ndi ziboliboli zapaulendo watsopano amangidwa kale, ndipo ena atatu akuyenera kumalizidwa pofika Novembala.
Sitimayi yokongola komanso yolimba, yomangidwa kuchokera ku zilumba za Tuamotu ku French Polynesia, ili ndi timizere iwiri yotalika mamita 22, yolumikizidwa ndi nsanja yokhala ndi kanyumba kakang'ono.
Mapasa amapasa amakwera mamita 13 (mamita 43) pamwamba pa sitimayo ndipo chiwongolero cha mita 10 chojambulidwa chimabwerera pakati pa zingwe, chilichonse chili ndi mabatani asanu ndi atatu ndi malo osungira.
Ngakhale kuti n'zofanana pomanga, bwato lililonse mwa mabwato asanu ndi limodzi lidzamalizidwa mumitundu yosiyanasiyana, zokongoletsedwa ndi zojambula zochokera kuzilumba zomwe akutumizidwako.
Ngakhale amapangidwa mwachikhalidwe, zibolibolizo zimapangidwa kuchokera ku fiberglass, ndipo zida zina zamakono zagwiritsidwanso ntchito. Mitundu yoyenera ya matabwa tsopano ndi yosatheka kupeza ndipo kugwiritsa ntchito fiberglass kumatanthauza kuti mabwato azikhala nthawi yayitali.
Nepia-Clamp ananena kuti: “Chofunika kwambiri pa mabwatowo n’chakuti ndi okhulupirika ku zimene makolo akale anapanga.
Ku New Zealand, ku Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, ndi Tahiti otsogolera asankhidwa ndipo posachedwapa antchito ayamba kuphunzira za ulendo wodabwitsawu, ndipo mwina gulu la Tonga lidzawonjezedwa pambuyo pake.
Ulendowu udzapereka ulemu ku maulendo akale - zomwe wolemba mbiri waku New Zealand Kerry Howe wa ku yunivesite ya Massey akufotokoza kuti "imodzi mwa zochitika zazikulu kwambiri za anthu".
M’buku la Vaka Moana (ocean-going canoe), buku lakuti Howe lolembedwa pa settlement of the Pacific, akuti anthu a m’zilumba za Pacific anatulukira luso loyamba la sayansi la madzi a buluu padziko lonse lapansi.
“Pogwiritsa ntchito matanga ndi chowombera, iwo anapanga zombo zapanyanja zapamwamba kwambiri ndipo anachita zimenezo zaka zikwi zambiri anthu asanakhaleko kwina kulikonse.”
Mpaka zaka zaposachedwapa, akatswiri a mbiri yakale amakhulupirira kuti anthu a ku Polynesia anafalikira kunyanja ya Pacific mwangozi, ndi mabwato omwazikana ndi mphepo yoipa.
“Ndidziŵa ndili kusukulu ndinaphunzitsidwa kuti makolo athu a ku Polynesia anayenda mwangozi, anangogwera pamtunda,” akutero Nepia-Clamp, amene analoŵetsedwamo m’ntchito yotsitsimula ulendo zaka 30 zapitazo.
"Sanali oyenda mwangozi, adapita chammbuyo ndi kutsogolo atapeza malo, anali ndi cholinga pazomwe adachita."
M'zaka za m'ma 1970 bungwe la Polynesia Voyaging Society linakhazikitsidwa kuti litsitsimutse luso lakale lakuyenda panyanja ku Hawaii komanso kutsimikizira kuti Polynesia akanatha kukhazikitsidwa pogwiritsa ntchito mabwato oyenda maulendo awiri komanso osagwiritsa ntchito zida.
Pambuyo pake ku New Zealand ndi ku Cook Islands, mabwato atsopano anamangidwanso, kugwirizanitsa mabwato a ku Hawaii paulendo wochokera ku Raiatea kupita ku Hawaii mu 1995.
Tsopano Pacific Voyaging Canoes ndikuyesera kukulitsa chitsitsimutso mderali ndikulimbikitsa anthu ambiri kuti aphunzire maluso achikhalidwe.
Wosewera waku New Zealand, Rawiri Paratene, yemwe ndi katswiri wa kanema wa Whale Rider, adathandizira kwambiri kukonza lingaliroli komanso kupeza ndalama kuchokera ku bungwe lochokera ku Germany lotchedwa Okeanos.
Pambuyo pa ulendo wa chaka chamawa, Nepia-Clamp akufuna kuti anthu oyenda panyanja pazilumba zosiyanasiyana apitirize kugwiritsa ntchito mabwato pophunzitsa achinyamata a pachilumbachi maluso amene atayika m’zaka zoyenda pandege.
Iye wawona kale kunyada komwe kunapangidwa ndi chitsitsimutso cha ulendo ku Hawaii.
"Tidalowa m'kalasi ku Molokai, denga lidakongoletsedwa ndi magulu a nyenyezi ndipo ana onse amatha kutchula nyenyezi iliyonse yomwe inalipo.
"Iwo anali onyada kuti makolo awo amapeza njira ndipo amadziwa luso lopeza njira lomwe amagwiritsa ntchito.
"Izi ndizonyadira kwambiri chikhalidwe chamtundu uliwonse."
