UH Hilo anthropologist collaborates with international group of scientists and Indigenous sailors to study Marshallese seafaring
UH Hilo Professor of Anthropology Joseph Genz is part of a diverse research team that aims to understand the human brain and neurological disease through studying the centuries-old ocean navigation skills of the Marshallese.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
In a collaborative project with the University of Stirling in Scotland, University College London, Harvard University, and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, a team of researchers from diverse disciplines is studying a trimaran expedition setting sail this month with two Indigenous Marshallese sailing experts and a documentary filmmaker onboard to better understand how the sailors find their way by sensing the swells of the ocean.
The researchers are experts in a wide range of fields including physics, neuroscience, philosophy, anthropology, oceanography and computer science, all aiming to understand the human brain and its relation to traditional Marshallese navigation, as well as to document and preserve this unique skill of seafaring. One particularly interesting aspect of the study is to gain an increased understanding of neurological disease, particularly the spatial disorientation of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Joseph Genz, an anthropology professor at UH Hilo whose research focuses on the cultural revival of voyaging and navigation in the Marshall Islands, is taking part in the project.
“The most exciting aspect of this project for me is the applied nature of research on traditional navigation to the medical field — mariners’ knowledge of Marshallese seascapes, geographies of the coral atolls of the Marshall Islands, and orientation during inter-island voyaging has the potential to provide culture-specific insights into detection of early onset Alzheimer’s Disease,” says Genz.
“When I became connected to the Waan Aelon in Majol canoe-building program with Alson Kelen two decades ago, I could not have imagined that the project would one day intersect with cutting edge medical research that has the potential to directly benefit Marshallese suffering from this neurological disease,” Genz adds.
Genz also notes the importance of the partnership with Marshallese anthropologist and UH Hilo alumna Jerolynn Myazoe in this multi-disciplinary, collaborative research project that “invokes a model of knowledge co-production and empowers the Marshallese community.” Myazoe graduated from UH Hilo with a bachelor of arts in anthropology in 2020 and a master of arts in heritage management in 2025.
Giving back to the Marshallese community
The Marshall Islands, which lie between Hawaiʻi and Australia, are made up of 29 atolls and cover around 750,000 square miles. Master navigators and sailors from the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific are famed for their extraordinary skill of wave piloting. Using feel and sight, they read the water and wind, noticing subtle changes in ocean swells to sense islands miles beyond the horizon and find their way.
Traditional spatial knowledge used to aid wayfinding has been largely unexplored by science. By deploying new technologies including mobile eye-tracking and 360-degree motion capture, the diverse research team aims to understand the human brain and these centuries-old ocean navigation skills, as well as to document and preserve this valued tradition.
It is anticipated that one of the project’s outcomes is increased understanding of neurological disease, particularly Alzheimer’s, which has disorientation as an early symptom.
The expedition has deep cultural and societal significance, as well as advancing science, say the researchers. The United States detonated nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958, causing environmental damage, the displacement of hundreds of residents from their homes, and the loss of cultural traditions. The project’s participants hope the project’s findings will help revitalize wave piloting for future generations and give back to the Marshallese community.
The project is supported by the Royal Institute of Navigation, University College London, and the Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory at the University of Stirling (funded by the Leverhulme Trust), Glitchers, Nomadic School of Business, Neuroscience & Design, and Brunton.
To learn more, see University of Stirling’s media release on the project.
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Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
