The Polynesian Voyaging Society has docked their canoe Hokule’a in Haines. The canoe sits at the forefront of a cultural revival for the Indigenous peoples from the Pacific. We spoke to one of the members Moani Heimuli about the traditional way of navigation.
Moani Heimuli first started with traditional sailing canoes from Hawaii when she was just 15. She’s now a boat constructor, instructor of sailing, and captains the Hokulea which is a 60′ twin-hulled, voyaging canoe in its latest voyage between Hoonah up to Haines.
Hokule’a is a key component to the work of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in reviving the traditional knowledge.
“Non-instrument navigation was an art lost for those who were Hawaiian population,” Heimuli said. “And it was the work of one man named Pius Mau Piailug of Satawa, Micronesia. We refer to him as Mau or Papa Mau and it just happened Mau was located in Hawaii when Hokule’a was being constructed.”
The Hokule’a was constructed around the period of the Hawaiian Renaissance.
“That was a period when our language was being returned to schools, which means that young children are beginning to understand their culture and language,” Heimuli said. “And Hokule’a was created to fill the gap of sea-going sailors. Also, it proved that Polynesian people could navigate, were able to navigate, and that we were able to and set out with a the intention of.”
There was a notion that Pacific Islands had been populated by drifters who sailed aimlessly across the ocean. Heimuli claims Papa Mau was connected to The Polynesian Voyaging Society and translated the knowledge he acquired in his home country into Hawaiian. Papa Mau transformed the map of the world into Hawaiian.
“It’s an astronomical compass with stars, it’s 360 degrees with four cardinal points and in between these points is seven stars. I’m about to get complicated on you. The star houses are 11.25 degrees. These star houses share the same name for each quadrant.” She said.
Each quadrant will have the stars as well as the sun and moon set in east, and are set in the west.
“If the star is rising, it will be in the east and within the home of Laa which is situated just above the east, Laa Honolao, so the star will rise, and it’s like a first and last name” Heimuli explained. “And after that, the star rises up, it reaches its Zenith, and then sets in the west. It will be set within Laa Honolua.”
Heimuli claims that the canoe is the centre of the compass. the horizon marks its boundary.
“That is our entire range of compass. If you look at the Hokule’a canoe, you will see that we have markings for each house. A navigator would stand at a particular spot in the canoe and make use of the lines drawn out to identify the various houses, and then watch the stars rise up from the sky or disappear on the horizon.” she added.
These reference points in this system differ from those of contemporary navigation.
“When we begin to master navigation, we learn that the canoe will never move The island is always at your feet,” Heimuli said. “So you need to think outside the box in all these situations, but put your faith in the lessons that our instructors have imparted to us through the centuries.”
The morning is after the stars are dimming and the sun rises, navigators look out for swells. Heimuli says that the two most important times to be the navigator are sunset and sunrise. This is the best time to adjust how the vessel’s course with respect to the sea.
“So the swells remain a regular thing” she explained. “It takes an extended time for a swell’s shape to alter, yet there’s every day going to be a consistent swell. This is the trade swell we get in Hawaii. Therefore, we learn the feel of the canoe in that location, as well as the swell and where the swell is taking it from.”
Being aware of the direction you’re travelling in is helpful but what are the best ways to find islands within the vast ocean?
“There are indications,” she said. “One you glance at clouds, clouds tend to form a cluster over islands. We also have birds. In Hawaii we have a lot of different species of birds that take off to the sea in the morning, they’ll feed before coming back in the evening and feed their young. We’ll be watching for these birds, since we know that if we see this bird in the morning it’s not a good idea to follow it. However, when it becomes afternoon and we observe the bird fly in a specific way, we’re certain that the bird is likely to head to its home and feed its young and we’re going to keep an eye on the bird.”
Heimuli believes that some marine life may help determine the location of the canoe.
“There is a certain dolphin pod close to the equator,”” she added. “And we’ll find out, okay it’s interesting to observe, as the water is boiling at this point. It’s this massive group of dolphins. Therefore, we know that they’re at the same place each time we sail.”
Heimuli says she’s thrilled to discover how traditional navigational techniques can be taught at the classrooms. Hawaii is now home to an ocean-going fleet of eight canoes. Other nations are also making traditional canoes as well as giving the techniques.
“We must continue doing this,” she said. “Because when you stop travelling, we cease visiting our relatives across the globe and the teaching ceases right with us. Therefore, we must keep working on our teaching.”
The Hokule’a will return to Juneau on June 10, at Auke Rec and sets off for its journey on June 15th, Thursday. The launch will be broadcast live on the KTOO 360TV channel beginning with 3 p.m. Details about how to be a part of Saturday’s celebration and the launch globally on Thursday are available on Sealaska’s site.
