Navigation Was Exact

Island Voyagers

Science For Leaders

Following is the third, and concluding, instalment of an article on early Polynesian and Micronesian navigation by Lowell Don Holmes. The first and second portions were published respectively in the June and August issues of PIM.

CAPTAIN WINKLER, who made an extensive study of the navigation charts of Micronesia, lists 13 different items represented in these charts. \ Most of these represent sea conditions that are difficult to ibserve and are too complicated or description in a general article >f this type.

Winkler also lists three distinct ypes of charts: [ (1) The Mattang, which is used or instruction purposes only. These harts are generally symmetrical in onstruction and represent a simple ituation such as a single island nth curved swell fronts arranged a four quadrants. (2) The Meddo, which includes our or more islands representing nly part of an archipelago. (3) The Rebbelib, which includes whole island group, serves as a jminder to the navigator. These liarts may or may not have islands i relative positions, but they are sually not to scale. Each navigator lakes his own charts, which are itelligible only to him.

Many of the surface features presented on the charts are ttremely difficult to see and squire very calm water.

Thus, Winkler states that voyages i the Marshalls took place only iring a four-month period ‘ginning in June, when the trades ere not blowing, or when they had :tle force.

However, Anthropologist William ascom noted in 1946 that a great sal of inter-island sailing in the irolines took place during the ade wind season.

IO far, a good deal has been said f concerning the methods of navigation and piloting in both icronesia and Polynesia. Now let turn to the navigator himself id investigate his qualifications, lining, and position within the ciety.

As for qualifications, Martha sckwith describes the accomplish mts of Pakaa, a famous navigator the Middle Ages, in her book, uvaiian History. ‘He was acquainted with the irs and could steer a canoe even len there was no land visible. He aid predict a calm or a storm on e ocean by watching the stars noting the rainbow colours and their edges, by the blinking

or reddening of the stars, or their misty appearance before a storm: or by observing the reddening of the clouds, the movements of the clouds, advancing together or retreating, their position with reference to each other, the darkening of the heavens, a puff of wind, a strong north wind, an east wind, a whirlwind, and a towering wave on the ocean.”

While the preceding statement stresses the knowledge of weather indicators primarily, we may list the following as astronomical knowledge known to all Polynesian navigators: (1) The distance of the sun, north or south of the Equator, and its diurnal path on any day of the year; (2) The motions of the planets in the ecliptic: (3) The brightness, colour, and position of several hundred stars and the time of year when they were visible in the night sky;

(4) The configurations of the constellations; (5) The stars which rise from the same point on the horizon and trace the same path across the sky and the seasons when they can be used for navigation; (6) The motion of the moon, which changes declination rapidly but could be used for checking the course on nights when its bright

ness obscured all but the most conspicuous stars.

AS for Micronesia, the German ethnographers Damm and Sarfert found that the know ledge possessed by navigators was fully as impressive as that recorded for Polynesia.

From a navigator from Puluwat they recorded a list, covering several pages of fine print, of sailing directions to scores of islands.

These directions included both a direct course in terms of their celestial compass, which had already been explained, and an alternate course in case wind directions made the desired course impossible.

Included in the sailing directions ■were reefs along the way and the number of days’ sailing time to each island.

It must be always kept in mind that these details were committed to memory. Even if a navigator had never made a journey to a given island he would know the course and length of time required to reach it.

In connection with the last point, Goodenough relates an interesting anecdote in his Scientific Monthly article, Native Astronomy In Micronesia:

“Early in the First World War, the German Governor of Truk, in the Caroline Islands, found himself unable to communicate with his superiors, all German shipping in the area having stopped.

“It happened that a canoe from Puluwat, 90 miles to the west, stopped during a trading trip. At his interpreter’s suggestion, the

Governor asked its navigator he could get to headquarters Ponape, 300 miles to the east.

“The navigator said he h; never been there but was confides he could manage. Not many dai later, he was back with replies the Governor’s letters.

“The Governor could well mar? that a simple loincloth-clad ms

ould so confidently sail to a trange place without compass or hart and make the requisite land all with pinpoint precision. . . /’

From this example, one gleans >mething else. The navigator not nly knew how to get to Ponape •om Puluwat, but he knew in hat directions other islands lay in jlation to Ponape.

KNOWLEDGE of this sort is L handed down from father to r son, and it is exchanged by ivigators of different islands.

This exchange is facilitated by le fact that in Micronesia it is bu for navigators to eat any food tat has not been separately pre ired for them. Therefore, all ivigators eat together at a special ivigators’ mess, where shop-talk variably dominates the con versa on. Visiting navigators are eluded in this mess.

No school of navigation has en recorded for Micronesia, but Polynesia this institution is of eat importance. rhese schools were established the larger islands and were iducted for four or five months ring the winter. The school m opened and closed with solemn ■emonies and symbolical rites, fhe subject matter was imparted utmost secrecy and graduation ne only when the abundance of owledge had been perfectly >orbed. )ne of the exercises involved :ing a half a gourd and burning 0 this hemisphere the many ghways” (bands) of stars which ■e of importance to their area, the stars along these “highways” 1 to be recited, together with ir daily and yearly movements.

Jthough no navigation school been recorded for Micronesia, position of navigator was ited to the ranks of the ruling ises, and this would indicate t some sort of formal instruction ' provided for those of the owing generation who were 'ked out to become leaders and igators. i Polynesia, navigators were also ally nobles, and the practice of art was limited to certain ily or clan groups.

'any ritual observances accom ied the posistion in both areas, an unwavering faith in their 3 was a prerequisite. ..THOUGH passages of single canoes were far from uncommon, most of the voyages ? made by flotillas of from 25 !0 canoes, and it has been re ed that the number might reach The navigating chiefs usually ed together in the lead canoe. must have been a beautiful t when a fleet of those sleek. :t sea-canoes converged upon an id, with their tattooed captains

prancing the deck and shouting orders to dozens of oarsmen while other crew members deftly manipulated the great lateen sails.

These men were truly Vikings of the Sunrise, and masters of the sea to the extent that she ever lets anyone master her.

Sources quoted or consulted include: Banks, Sir J. “Journal . , , during Captain Cook’s First Voyage in HMS Endeavour”. London, 1896.

Cartwright. Bruce. “The Legend of Hawaii-loa”. (Polynesian Society Vol 38, 1929).

Gatty, Harold. “The Raft Book” New York. 1943.

Goodenough. Ward. “Native Astronomy in Micronesia: A Rudimentary Science”. (“Scientific Monthly”, Aug., 1951).

Gr JZ bl l’t ArthUr “Gilbertese Astronomy ? d » A i Stron .° miCal ° bse rvances”. (Journal of Polynesian Society, Vol. 40).

Kaddon, A. C. and Hornell, James. “Canoes of Oceania . Honolulu. 1930.

H °Yo e rk!’ W 44 W “ Mankind So’Far”. New Makemson. Maude. “The Morning Star Rises . New Haven. 1941, and “Hawaiian Astronomical Concepts” (American An thropologist, Vol. 40).

Sm ‘ th ’ S J > “” awaiki - tb e Original Home of the Maori”. London, 1921.

White. Taylor. “On the use of Birds in Navigation”. (Journal of Polynesian Society, Vol. 10).

Williams. John. “A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands’

London, 1837.

Winkler, Captain. “Sea Charts Used in the Marshall Islands”. (Annual Report of Smithsonian Institute, 1899).