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Early Polynesian Voyagers

 

 

The early Polynesian voyagers were some of the best wayfinders in history. They were able to find their way across vast reaches of the Pacific ocean basin navigating by the sun, stars, and other natural cues. One of the natural cues that Polynesian voyagers used for navigation is the knowledge that islands block waves and ocean swells. Not only is there a zone of calmer water behind an island, but an island also reflects and refracts waves and swells. When waves meet after being reflected, they interact. A seasoned navigator can see or feel this change in pattern, thus locating small low-lying islands that are not visible. In addition to waves, Polynesian voyagers took careful notice of seabirds and isolated piles of clouds on the horizon, both of which could indicate the presence of land.

Specific stars are visible at different times of the year or in different geographic locations. Stars always travel east to west in a line. In the northern hemisphere, stars appear to rotate around the North Star. By tracking the movement of the stars, voyagers can determine their approximate location with a high level of accuracy. Polynesian navigators could explore the ocean beyond sight of land and always know how to return home by knowing the general location of an island relative to the rising and setting of particular star groups.

Master Polynesian navigators memorize the rising and setting positions of hundreds of stars. One way of helping to organize this information is the Hawaiian star compass, which divides the sky into eight families of stars occupying 32 houses. The houses indicate the position of stars rising and setting at the horizon. Knowing which star houses are rising and setting means that you are able to chart a course from your starting point to a specific destination. This type of celestial navigation has been used, along with wind direction and wave observation, to find small islands in the vast world ocean.

For the information above, and more information on Wayfinding, visit:

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/physical/navigation-and-transportation/wayfinding-and-navigation