Polynesian Navigation

The creation of Priestly Navigators

The Caroline navigators had a period of about 1800 years where their navigation skills were perfected. The hereditary chieftainship and ranked kin group society across the Caroline Islands from Ulitlu to Namonuito had an annual gift voyage to the dominant Yap Island families the canoes (sawei) stopped at 15 islands in the east to west pilgrimage a total of about 2000 km.The smallest distance between islands was about 25 km and therefore at sea level out of sight beyond the horizon. Navigators were required on all canoes to ensure safe and accurate voyages. The largest distance between islands was about 350 km and could be crossed in 36 to 48 hours probably involving two nights and a day for navigation accuracy. All of the other legs could have been crossed in 24 hours or less assuming an average canoe speed of 10 k.p.h.There were two recognised ancestral islands Kachaw near Truk in the East and the other was Yap. The dominant families of the Caroline Is were on Yap. The representatives of each island carried three categories of gifts- the “Canoe Tribute” and “Religious Tribute”- were given to the highest ranking chiefs on arrival at Ulithi. “Tributes of the Land” were given to chiefs of the outlying islands who in turn gave them to the respective sawei partners on Ulithi. The ranking of the island’s families decreased as distance from Yap increased. The outer island families felt obliged to send tributes. In turn the Yap families provided them with a number of gifts including turmeric, yams, bananas, sweet potatoes, bamboo, red soil pigment, pots and manufactured items scarce on outer islands.Another smaller system of tribute exchange existed on the Lamotrek-Satawal-Elato Islands. The families of Satawal and Elato islands were obliged to send a semi-annual tribute to Lamotrek. This system was called the “Voyage of the Fish Hook” or sayinike and the gifts were food, breadfruit and coconuts. The tribute voyages continued for about 2000 years until 1960.If the tributes were not forthcoming a Yapese chief or magician might cause storms or epidemics to decimate the offending kin group. Consequently there was a life or death need to have a reliable navigator for the canoes since the prosperity and safety of the community of an atoll depended on the delivery of the Tributes. The establishment of a trusted navigation system and a teaching program for new navigators would have had a highest priority on all islands. Choosing the brightest boys to be future navigators and holders of the special knowledge would bestow a “Priestly” title to the graduate.

The eastern the Polynesian Islands of Samoa and Tonga were colonised in 800-900 BC. Another 900 years elapsed before the Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Rapa and Rapa Nui were colonised. Colonisation of Aotearoa followed 200-300 years later. The navigation system continued and each island group had a Star Compass and the Priestly Navigators were maintained until the era of European influence in SE Asia and Pacific in the 20^th Century.

The re-discovery of star pillar technology revealed by the interpretation of the Chant of Rua-nui, an old Tahitian woman in 1818, into English by Paora’i a Councellor of Porapora in 1822 and later by Rev J M Orsmond, a Missionary of Tahiti. The chant was communicated to the Journal of the Polynesian Society by Orsmond’s grand daughter Teuira Henry in 1907. Rua-nui would have been alive when Tupaia sailed off with Cook in 1769.  The Chant, after a preamble, is as follows:

Antares is the entrance pillar of the dome of the sky,

Aldebaran is the pillar to blacken or tattoo by,

Spica is the pillar of perfect purity,

Alphard is the pillar to debate by,

Arcturus is the pillar to stand by,

Procyon is the pillar for elocution,

Betelgeuse is the pillar to sit by,

Phact is the pillar of exit,

Polaris is the pillar to fish by in the boundary of the sky.

When the star positions are set as they were in 1045 AD, a key time of eastern exploration of the Pacific, the pairing of the stars when setting or rising as base stars with stars vertically above as capital stars to create the Navigation Pillars, east-west navigation pathways are created along which landfalls could be made at Mapuche in Chile, Rapa Nui and Rapa, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, the Gilbert Islands and Hawaii. North-South navigation pathways are also created.Modern research indicates that Polynesians and Daanan/Greeks were capable of establishing virtual waypoints in mid ocean, something that the navigation system of dead reckoning is incapable of doing without instruments, an ephemeris, a chart and some means of determining longitude.