A recent trip to Hawaii piqued my curiosity ancient about Polynesian sailors. They didn't have written math or language, or western instruments like compasses or clocks. So how did they navigate across vast open oceans without "modern" technology?
Watch how in Sanford Low's wonderful 2013 documentary, "The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific." It follows the adventures of Mau Piailug, one of the very last of the navigators from Micronesia, as he pilots a replica of an original Polynesian canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti. Along the way you'll learn some of ancient astronomy, wayfarer's acquired wisdom, simple mnemonics and oral lessons, Hawaiian history, and ingenious technologies based on available resources. Fascinating.
Watch it for free on kanopy. And there's more on Polynesian navigators at Wikipedia. But did they have any navigational technology or devices? More about that later…
One of the first and best documentaries produced about the life of Grand Master Navigator Mau Piailug.
