Navigation By The Stars in Hawaii

The stars played an important role in ancient ocean navigation. Stargazing is almost becoming a lost

Personal photo REK from when we lived in Hawaii

art in the Pacific.Fortunately the non-profit organization, the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, The Polynesian Voyaging Society, as well as other individuals are inspiring many locals to study the stars again.

When I lived in Tonga, we traveled on little boats between the islands. Often there were no life jackets or emergency equipment of any kind. I feel fortunate to have lived through those experiences.
I was often amazed how the navigators of the little boats had a sense of where they were from the feel of the waves or swells on their hands, the wind, as well as from the stars at night.

I have been on some big ships that have many sophisticated instruments to keep them on course. This is a far cry from the non-instrument navigators I experienced in the little islands. These navigators have become finely attuned to nature. Even the color of ocean and the shapes of clouds have meaning to one who has observed them for many years.

In the 1970s, The Polynesian Voyaging Society constructed a double hull canoe and named it the Hokulea. As a young man, Nainoa Thompson was taught traditional navigation by Mau Piailug, a Micronesian master. He became well acquainted with the stars and the other natural signs nature gives. With this knowledge, Nainoa was able to make an historic voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti and back again without the use of modern-day navigational tools.

What about you? Say you were in a boat on an ocean spanning ten million square miles. Without even a compass, charts or other tools, you must navigate your way safely to a tiny island some 2500 miles away. Would you survive?

Nainoa spent hundreds of hours studying the stars and the sky in a planetarium at Hawaii's Bishop Museum. I have recently been there, and it is very impressive.

A Star Compass

The main star, the one that does not move, is called Polaris. This beacon light has directed many mariners to safety over the ages. By learning where the other stars rise and set in relation to Polaris, the navigator can steer his boat with confidence. The celestial bodies in the heavens provide direction no matter where you are. This also includes the sun, the moon and the stars.

Pointer Stars

There are also pairs of stars in the heavens that cross the meridian at the same time - these are called pointers since they always point to either the north or the south poles when they arc across the sky. Most of us are familiar with the Big Dipper, but there are several others that can point the way.
Signs of land approaching are to be found in the amount of floatsam, birds and the presence and colors of clouds.

Nainoa combines his western knowledge with those passed down from Polynesian ancestors. His understanding of longitude and latitude, which they did not have in ancient days, together with his observations of nature result in a hybrid system of navigation.

Currently there are plans for the Hokulea to circle the globe in a worldwide voyage. The currently captain of the vessel is Chad Baybayan. He is excited to use traditional navigational techniques to train his crew members for what will surely be an epic journey.

Studying the stars is something that can be done by anyone. You can sit on your lawn with your family and neighbors and familiarize yourself with the stars. If you are in Hawaii, you will definitely want to pay a visit to the Bishop's Museum.

Herbal Remedies Saved My Babies' Lives

I do appreciate modern medicine and doctors, but at one time in my life, it was an herbal combination that saved my baby girl and baby boy's lives. We lived in a small island in the South Pacific. Being fairly new to this environment, I was unaware of the many medicinal plants that the natives relied on almost daily.



http://elayne001.hubpages.com/hub/Herbal-Remedies-Saved-My-Childrens-Lives

He Wrote Me a Tongan Love Song

It took a separation from my usually non-romantic husband to squeeze the sentiments out of him. We had been married about three years and had two beautiful children when I left him behind for a couple of months. No we were not fighting or anything like that. I had a health issue that I needed to check out. We lived in a small South Pacific Island Kingdom. I had given birth to our little son in Tonga, but had complications. My parents came to visit and I returned to stay with them for a while.

http://elayne001.hubpages.com/hub/He-Wrote-Me-a-Love-Song

A Kiss is More than a Kiss in Polynesia

I come from a family of hand shakers. My mother was given the official title of “hand-shaking Christensen” owing to her stance of giving kisses sparingly, especially to strangers. Coming from a Scottish and Danish background, you may better understand my dilemma when I moved to the South Pacific. Growing up, my grandparents on occasion kissed my forehead, but not much more, except one grandpa who used to kiss me directly on the lips.

Otherwise, when I was introduced to someone, I was taught to shake their hands and say “how do you do”, or “happy to meet you.” After I was married, I was adopted into a Polynesian society where kissing was given freely to all. If you did not kiss your friends and relatives, you were considered (ho’okano) or rude. In fact, if you did not kiss – you would most like get embarrassed in front of your peers. 

One father in Hawaii dropped his daughter off at school, and as she opened the door, several things fell out of the unkept truck. She picked them up hurriedly, returned them inside and slammed the door. The father asked for a kiss good-bye. She gave what is called “stink eye” (disapproving look) and sped on to her friends. So the father left his truck on idle, tooted the horn several times until she turned around and then he waved at her to her chagrin.

Another 13-year-old girl forgot a book in the car when let off for school. She turned back to get the book, but refused her Hawaiian father a kiss when asked. So the father would not give her the book. Several times he would hit the gas pedal and the car went forward a bit. The daughter, needing the book, would follow to catch up, but he would not give the book to her until he got his kiss goodbye.
In ancient Hawaii, the honi was the usual greeting in which two people greet by pressing noses at the bridge and inhaling at the same time. It is considered very honorable, and it represented the exchange of mana (spiritual power between two people) and ha (the breath of life).  This honi seems very unusual to foreigners who witness it.  Maori people from New Zealand call their kiss the hongi.

Artwork by Ruth Kongaika

When the Hawaiians saw that the white man only shook hands as a greeting, they started to call them ha ‘ole, which literally means without breath. They thought it was cold and distant.  Having been raised as an American, we are used to having our “personal space”. There is really nothing like that in Polynesia, since they are used to greeting with a hug and kiss, sleeping in the same room, and sharing everything, they cannot understand our need for “space”.

Some other countries, like France, kiss on both sides of the cheeks when greeting one another. Hence, French Tahitians do the same. So you need to be ever adept at determining who you are meeting to know whether you should shake hands, kiss with your nose, or kiss on both sides of their face. Some countries even do it twice on each cheek!  It can be rather confusing and embarrassing. Some say, just take the kiss and run with it!  It has taken me over twenty years to get used to Polynesian kissing and hugging, and now I am moving back to the cold distant mainland America.