Legends of Navigation

By William Burrows

IN the days when the large double and single outrigger canoes of the Polynesians ranged the Pacific, the navigators had no modem appliances to assist them.

Nor was there a written language in which to record the experiences gleaned by those who set forth on their remarkable voyages and returned.

But a record of items of in formation was kept by the re membrancers, or tale-tellers, who translated them into legends. Thus a useful story, kept alive in this manner, provided data for the navi gators on their voyages.

The heroine of many of the legends is Sina (Hina or Tna, vary ing according to the dialect) who was the Moon Goddess. Among her many roles she was the mother of the lunar months, and the mother of Maui, the Polynesian demigod, who lifted the sky off the earth at the creation of the world. It was Maui also, who produced islands by hauling them up from the bed of the ocean with a fishing line!

At one time Sina was carried from island to island on the back of a turtle, and she made many marriages with demigods, birds, and even a lizard. In one legend, told in the Tokelau Group, she became pregnant by standing on the edge of the reef each morning as the sun came over the horizon. In this case she named her son “Kalokalo o-le-la,” an interpretation of which is “Star of the Sun”.

In fact, she is symbolical of the birth of all living things.

A LEGEND of Sina, told in the island of Fakaofo, has a definite connection with star navigation used by canoes proceed ing from that island to Samoa. A short veislon of this tale is as follows: Living in Fakaofo were two brothers. Kupenga and Kakau, of whom Kupenga was the elder.

Each had two sons; but those of Kakau were fine strong lads, where as Kupenga’s boys were weaklings.

Kakau also had a daughter, no other than Sina herself, but she had run away and her father did not know what had happened to her.

Kupenga was jealous of his brother’s family and decided to kill the two boys by a trick. His plan was to feign sickness and he asked his brother to send the boys, whose names were Filo and Mea, to catch a certain dangerous fish called Sumu. The flesh of this would, he said, cure his sickness.

Kakau agreed; but his sons were good fishermen and the plot failed.

The fish was provided for then uncle, but he complained that he

was not cured. He then told the boys that he wanted the flesh of a certain bird. This was the famous Matuku, the man-eater.

Filo and Mea were undaunted and set off. one with a club and the other with an axe made from the shoulder-blade of a turtle, for the home of Matuku.

On their arrival they found he was not at home but to their sur prise their lost sister, Sina, was there. She told them that she was married to Matuku, but was tired of him. She expected he would return to the house at any moment.

The two hid, Filo with his club in the low rafters of the hut’s roof, and Mea with his axe under a mat on the floor. They told Sina to give Matuku, when he arrived, a drink from a coconut bowl, but to only fill it half full. Sina agreed to do this. Presently Matuku arrived and sat on the floor; but, in order to drink from the half-filled bowl, he had to throw his head right back.

This gave the boys their chance.

Filo hit his forehead with his club from above, and Mea cut his throat from below.

The two brothers and their sister then decided to return to their father’s house. The path they took was across the reef, Filo carrying the dead bird, and Mea helping Sina.

There was a deep fissure on the reef which they had to cross, and the sea was swirling dangerously when they made the attempt.

Filo, carrying the bird, went first and was soon in difficulties. Then Mea jumped in to try and save him; but, before doing so, he called to Sina that if they were drowned she had only to look into the skv by night when she would see in the direction of Samoa not only her two brothers but Sumu and Matuku as well.

Sina was the only one of the three who reached her father’s house.

THE most favourable period of the year for a canoe passage from Fakaofo to Samoa is during the months of December, January and February. It is during these months when favourable winds from the north and north-west may be expected.

Of interest is the fact that both Kupenga and Kakau are Maori star names and Hamu (Sumu) is a constellation at Hawaii.

For the voyage from Fakaofo to Samoa the month of January may be taken as a probability. Samoa lies 191 deg. true from Fakaofo, and it is clear that stars with an azimuth of 180 deg.-215 deg. only,

(Continued on Page 74)

at some period of the night, need to be considered; also, that stars of an altitude of over 60 deg. would be too difficult to observe correctly without some mechanical device.

After darkness set in, the pilot would look for a star on the h £ riZon 4 . find 4 : Sun u » for which he would steer for the nOX^T\/r^ e i e 10U^p- e . wou see Matuku and steer for it until

it sets four hours later. He then sees Filo, and steers for it for three hours, when he picks up Mea which SSf ™ daWn ' Pr ° m tWs 11 appears „ , oiimu is Achemar.

Matuku is Canopus. * s Acrux.

Mea ls Ri § el Kent, 1 am indebted to Pilot Officer B.

Challis. of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, for his help in verifying the position of these stars.