Hawaiians as navigators and seaman

Author:

King, Samuel Wilder

Title:

Hawaiians as navigators and seaman

Periodical:

Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society

Year:

1925

Pages:

p.11-14

Subject:

Hawaii history Navigation Polynesia

Summary:

This document tells of how the Hawaiians managed to sail to Hawaii in canoes that were propelled through mat sails and paddles. The story tells of how they did so through their knowledge of prevailing winds, the moods of the sea, and through the signs or omens that predicted the weather such as rainbows that stood arched in the wrong quarter, clouds that were flying in scattered fragments, wind or waves that were blowing from the wrong direction, or by a sign that was sent to them through the Na Hiku (the Seven or the Dipper) that indicated an approaching storm if the little star was seen to wink frequently. This, and the knowledge of how to sail via the location of the North Star (Hokupaa), was passed from one generation to another, not by written documents, but through mele (songs) of old voyages.

URL:

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_navigators_seamen.html

Date:

1925

Collection:

Monographs