Overview
The compass can go wrong, the stars never.
David Lewis in Proceedings of the Waka Moana Symposium 1996, 1999
Several thousand years ago, when most seafarers were hugging the coasts, Pacific peoples were able to navigate the vast watery wilderness around their homes. They journeyed on magnificent sailing vessels, using only the seas, skies, and sea life to guide them. Pacific seafarers developed sophisticated ways of organising and remembering their knowledge. These included stone or stick charts to map star paths or wave patterns, and songs or stories to record other voyaging knowledge. Only certain people trained as navigators, honing their skills over a lifetime. Much of their knowledge was secret, passed down only through particular families or tribes.
In the Pacific today, some of these ancient voyaging skills have been revived, and sailing canoes remain an important symbol of identity. Many Māori introduce themselves to a formal gathering by first naming the canoe that their ancestors arrived on. In doing so, they keep past voyaging connections alive.