ART OF THE NAVIGATORS

Tracing the earliest settlement of the Pacific, scientists conclude from studies from
artefacts (particularly a widespread archaic type of pottery called Lapita ware) that it
was launched somewhere in the islands of Southeast Asia. Through the millenniums,
migrations swept generally eastward across the ocean, but ultimately the waves
spread towards every compass point - as far north as Hawaii, as far south as New
Zealand, even westward again to the so-called Polynesian outliers in Micronesia and
Melanesia.

The obscure people who made Lapita pottery reached Tonga before 1000 B.C.
There, and in Samoa, they settled down and developed the language and culture we
now call Polynesian. From its cradle in the Tonga-Samoa region, Polynesian culture
began its spread over the Pacific about the time of Christ. When Europeans arrived
some fifteen centuries later, they found Polynesians occupying a vast triangle that
covers almost a fourth of the Pacific. Indeed, although the void of written language or
any instruments, guided solely by their censors, the early Polynesians ranged over
an area bigger than all the Soviet Union and China combined. For years, scholars
had debated whether this vast area was settled mostly by accident - by wind-blown
castaways, by people wandering blindly - or by navigational skill of the first
magnitude.
Later studies revealed that the latter was the case. Following is an introduction to the
navigational techniques used by the early navigators.

In addition to their more advanced navigational techniques, the early navigators used
some simple facts as an aid to their navigation. The first of these was the occurrence
of trade wind clouds over invisible islands over the horizon. What the navigator could
see was the reflection of the island in the under surface of the cloud. This green
reflection was an obvious sign to the navigator that there was an island or atoll over
the horizon.

Low lying cloud formation above an atoll

The second simple navigational technique adopted by our forefathers was to follow
the movements of the birds. Such birds as the frigate bird and the tern roost ashore
and then feed at sea. Dawn and dusk flight paths pointed the way to land.
When travelling greater distances, the early navigators steered by the stars. They
directed their canoes towards a particular star in the constellation Leo and when that
star moved too high and too far to the left, they followed the next star that rose from
the same point on the horizon. Then the next and after that the next and so on until
dawn broke.

The star-compass technique is still practised over much of the Pacific. What is more
impressive however is the island navigator's uncanny skill to steer by wave motion -
swells reflected from islands beyond the horizons. The skilled navigator comes to
recognise the profile and characteristic of particular ocean swells as he would the
faces of his friends, but he judges their direction more by feel than by sight.

The complex patterns produced by swell reflected and refracted among the islands
are recognised by navigators throughout Oceania. The Marshall Islanders illustrate
the process using stick charts as seen below.

An early stick chart from Micronesia shows the waves

and currents around the islands which are represented by shells.

The skills of the navigator are part of our Micronesian and Polynesian heritage. It is
the last legacy of uncounted generations of the great captains of all mankind. They
have learned to steer by star horizon courses, by cloud formations, bird zones and
the wave patterns broken by islands. In many areas, they enjoy greater prestige than
the local village chiefs. They were men of rare, unusual and impressive talent and
skills. It is to be hoped that these are not lost to future generations.