Celestial Navigation

(Image from NASA)

Early sailors would probably want to stay within sight of land in order to stay safe as they had no obvious means of navigation. However, as their expertise in recognising star patterns, direction of the waves and swell, the colour of the sea and the behaviour of the birds extended, so grew their expertise upon the water. Each ocean and sea would bring its own challenges, and accordingly the various voyagers developed their own skills and competences.

The Pacific Ocean

Between 3000 and 1500 BC early sailors from Taiwan started to explore the Pacific Ocean. They travelled the range of islands in Southeast Asia and created Lapita, a shared culture, noted for its pottery. This evolved into a distinct Polynesian culture, and the exploration continued using doubled hulled vessels, made from two canoes roped together. The spaces in between were covered with beams creating a platform used for storing food, hunting materials and nets. It also provided a working and living space. Woven matting created sails, and long steering paddles were used.

Navigation was reliant upon stars, winds and ocean currents. Early Polynesian sailors developed devices to assist in navigating such as charts and instruments for measuring celestial elevations. The charts could show the patterns of wind and currents, and these were added to by songs or stories that would help them to remember the routes. A knowledge of birds migratory patterns and behaviour also assisted, and it is said that a Frigatebird would be used to show the way to land, as it has no ability to swim it would either fly off to dry land or return to the boat. Their wingspan can be up to 2.3 metres and they can soar for weeks on wind currents.

According to Herb Kawainiu Kane writing In Search of the Ancient Polynesian Voyaging Canoe http://archive.hokulea.com/ike/kalai_waa/kane_search_voyaging_canoe.html there are ways of hypothesising and creating working vessels of the design held in common amongst the early voyagers. These designs were researched and modified as they were being built, and the outcome was deemed to be an effective replica of the common style of early ocean going canoes. The exploration of the Eastern Polynesia extended to Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand centuries before European explorers sailed the open seas.

To be continued…..