Change The Life Channel : Every Day Acts of Peace: Video short films: "Hōkūle'a Worldwide Voyage" Polynesia Wayfinding by Stars, Sun, Ocean swells and other Signs of Nature

Monday, August 4, 2014

Video short films: "Hōkūle'a Worldwide Voyage" Polynesia Wayfinding by Stars, Sun, Ocean swells and other Signs of Nature

The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage began in 2013 with a Mālama Hawaiʻi sail around our archipelago, and will continue through 2017 when our new generation of navigators take the helm and guide Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia back to Polynesia after circumnavigating the globe. Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia, our Polynesian voyaging canoes, are sailing across Earth’s oceans to join and grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world.

2017 Hōkūleʻa Worldwide Voyage - YouTube Channel (various videos)
2017 Tracking the voyage via the internet
Stay Connected with the voyage and crew

Polynesia Wayfinding Learning Center
40 Years of Voyaging - Timeline

Before the invention of the compass, sextant and clocks, or more recently, the satellite-dependant Global Positioning System (GPS), Pacific Islanders navigated open-ocean voyages without instruments, using instead their observations of the stars, the sun, the ocean swells, and other signs of nature for clues to direction and location of a vessel at sea. In the 20th century, this method was still practiced in some areas of Micronesia, although the traditional knowledge and techniques are in danger of being lost because of modernization and Westernization of the island cultures.

A revival of the art and science of wayfinding is underway among the Pacific islands, led by Nainoa Thompson, the first modern-day Polynesian to learn and use wayfinding for long-distance, open-ocean voyaging. Nainoa studied wayfinding under Mau Piailug, a master navigator from the island of Satawal in Micronesia. He also studied the movement and positioning of celestial bodies with Will Kyselka at the Bishop Museum planetarium in Honolulu, and oceanography and meteorology at the University of Hawai‘i. Mau navigated the first voyage of the Hokule’a to Tahiti in 1976; Thompson served as wayfinder on voyages of Hokule‘a in 1980, 1985-87, 1992 he began training new navigators from Hawai’i and other Pacific islands to perpetuate the tradition.

Voyage Map

2016 Watch: Hōkūle'a visits Nova Scotia (First Nation's Greeting)
2016 Hōkūle'a Visits Yarmouth Nova Scotia (local video, friendly meet and greet)

Watch "The Star Compass" (2:34 minutes July 2014) introduction into the Star Compass used by our ancestors for ocean navigation using a 360 degree circle divided into 32 even star houses.

Watch "Hokule'a Embarks" (14:22 minutes Aug 2014) Hokule'a and Hikianalia are Polynesian canoes that departed O'ahu earlier this year on a three-year journey around the world to encourage a more sustainable planet. The voyage will be equipped with state-of-the-art communications technology, including Google Hangout capabilities, videos and photos. This will allow everyone to be part of the worldwide voyage and learn about historical traditions and values that we may be able to use today to create a more sustainable future.

Watch "Through the Eyes of Ancestors" (4:02 minutes July 2014)
The two kiʻi that protect Hōkūleʻa are a reminder of the spirituality linking present voyages to the wisdom of our ancestors.

Watch "Navigating Time" (3 minutes June 2014)
Apprentice navigators talk about the challenges they face making time to study the traditional skill of navigation while also meeting the demands of their contemporary lifestyles.

Watch "The Legend Returns" (3:38 minutes June 2014)
On March 24, 2014, the traditional sailing canoe Hawaiʻiloa returned to the sea after more than a decade on land. Led by master canoe builder Uncle Jerry Ongies, a small, committed group of volunteers has worked tirelessly to accomplish this historic task.