Ohama's maternal grandfather (Otokichi Murakami) immigrated to Canada from Japan in the early 1900's. He settled in Steveston, B.C. where he built wooden fish boats and fished for salmon until he was forced to leave his business behind and relocate his family in 1942. In the 1980's, traveling up and down the West Coast, Ohama was unsuccessful in her search for a vintage fish boat built by her grandfather. Subsequently, Linda purchased the next best thing: a registered, pre-war working wooden fish boat (the Kauka Lani) built in the 1930's by another Japanese issei boat builder.
This was the beginning of a lengthy four year project: the full re-construction and refurbishing of this pre-war fish boat, circa her grandfather's boats. During the process, she did extensive historical and personal research, completed a series of art works based on the re-building, and actively participated in the reconstruction and discovering a passion for working with wood and hand tools.
Under a new name and owner, today the Kauka Lani continues to work in the Pacific waters of British Columbia.
