Epanding the Target in Indigenous Navigation

Lewis, David (January 1971). "Epanding the Target in Indigenous Navigation". The Journal of Pacific History. 6 (1): 83–95. doi:10.1080/00223347108572184. ISSN 0022-3344.

Abstract: Since the Polynesian and Micronesian habitat is overwhelmingly aquatic, few aspects of the history and culture of Oceania can be separated from seagoing. What follows is based mainly on information gathered during a circuit of the western Pacific in a yacht, occupying the greater part of 1969, 1 supplemented from documentary sources. The voyages between Pikelot in the Carolines and Saipan in the Marianas that are referred to were the most dramatic demonstrations I had of an islander's skill, for the accomplished Carolinian Hipour, trained and initiated as a navigator on Puluwat (Polowat) atoll, guided us successfully in both directions across 450 miles of open ocean, without any Western aids whatsoever. There were similar passages under command of the Santa Cruz Reef Island navigator and sea rover, Tevake (Outlier Polynesian), and shorter ones with Gilbertese, Tongan and Ninigo captains. The interpretation of traditional material has, of course, to be approached with the utmost circumspection. I was fortunate, however, in that the information I was seeking concerned techniques, about whose demonstration there could be little ambiguity. Statements about star courses and deductions as to the effect of current set, leeway and the like were subject to the most rigorous possible proof of accuracy—the stern test of landfall. This paper deals with only one aspect of indigenous navigation, but it is an important one. It helps to explain the often surprising ability of navigators to find small targets, not only after planned ocean passages but also when storm drifted unfortunates have to seek desperately for shelter. Moreover the whole concept would appear to have originated independently of Western science and to have escaped modification by outside influences.

TECHNIQUES for 'expanding' the size of the target are an integral part of Polynesian and Micronesian navigation. The concept is a crucial one because star steering and dead reckoning systems would be less than adequate did they not incorporate methods for the qualitative transformation of tiny into sizeable objectives. The idea applies to two situation...

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CorpusID: 161105484
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