The Vaeakau-Taumako Wind Compass: a Cognitive Construct for Navigation in the Pacific
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THE VAEAKAU-TAUMAKO WIND COMPASS: A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT FOR NAVIGATION IN THE PACIFIC A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Cathleen Conboy Pyrek May 2011 Thesis written by Cathleen Conboy Pyrek B.S., The University of Texas at El Paso, 1982 M.B.A., The University of Colorado, 1995 M.A., Kent State University, 2011 Approved by , Advisor Richard Feinberg, Ph.D. , Chair, Department of Anthropology Richard Meindl, Ph.D. , Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Timothy Moerland, Ph.D. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Statement of Purpose .........................................................................................1 Cognitive Constructs ..........................................................................................3 Non Instrument Navigation................................................................................7 Voyaging Communities ...................................................................................11 Taumako ..........................................................................................................15 Environmental Factors .....................................................................................17 Structure of Material ........................................................................................18 II. Star Compasses ................................................................................................20 Caroline Islands ...............................................................................................20 Polynesia ..........................................................................................................30 Indo-Pacific ......................................................................................................32 Newly-Invented: Nainoa Thompson ................................................................37 III. Wind Compasses ..............................................................................................44 Introduction ......................................................................................................44 Indo-Pacific: Bugis ..........................................................................................45 Melanesia: Fiji .................................................................................................50 Micronesia........................................................................................................51 Polynesia: Cook Islands, Pukapuka, Tahiti, Tokelau, Tonga ..........................52 Polynesian Outliers: Anuta, Outer Reef Islands, Tikopia ................................57 IV. Taumako Navigation ........................................................................................61 Introduction ......................................................................................................61 George’s Account of Taumako Navigation .....................................................62 An Alternative Interpretation of Vaeakau-Taumako Navigation ....................74 iii V. Comparison ....................................................................................................107 Practical Similarities & Differences of Compasses .......................................107 Cognitive Similarities & Differences of Compasses .....................................111 Additional Factors ..........................................................................................113 VI. Summary & Conclusions ...............................................................................115 Overview ........................................................................................................115 Further Investigation ......................................................................................116 APPENDIX A. Oral Accounts of Winds .................................................................................120 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................123 iv LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1 – Marshallese Stick Chart ..........................................................................................5 Fig. 2 – Culture Areas of the Pacific ..................................................................................12 Fig. 3 – Caroline Star Compass .........................................................................................21 Fig. 4 – Gladwin’s Etak (reference island) representation ................................................26 Fig. 5 – Hutchins’ Etak (reference island) representation .................................................28 Fig. 6 – Hutchins’ Etak as triangulation ............................................................................29 Fig. 7 – Bugis Star Compass (Ammarell) ..........................................................................35 Fig. 8 – Madurese Star Compass (Lewis) ..........................................................................36 Fig. 9 – Nainoa’s Star Compass .........................................................................................40 Fig. 10 – Nainoa’s Invented Compass ...............................................................................41 Fig. 11 – Malay Wind Compass ........................................................................................46 Fig. 12 – Fijian Wind Compass .........................................................................................51 Fig. 13 – Cook Islands Wind Compass ..............................................................................53 Fig. 14 – Pukapukan Wind Compass .................................................................................54 Fig. 15 – Tahitian Wind Compass .....................................................................................55 Fig. 16 – Anutan Wind Compass .......................................................................................58 Fig. 17 – Tikopian Wind Compass ....................................................................................60 Fig. 18 – Eight Primary Positions ......................................................................................63 Fig. 19 – Sixteen Secondary Positions ...............................................................................64 Fig. 20 – Thirty-two Named Wind Positions .....................................................................66 Fig. 21 – Sunrise & Sunset Positions .................................................................................67 Fig. 22 – Seasons & Calendrics .........................................................................................68 Fig. 23 – Strong & Mild Winds and Special Winds ..........................................................69 Fig. 24 – The Man Pushing the Wind ................................................................................71 Fig. 25 – Celestial Bodies ..................................................................................................72 Fig. 26 – Vaeakau-Taumako Navigational Toolkit ...........................................................77 Fig. 27 – Map of Taumako and Surrounding Area ............................................................87 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Hendrickson International for employing my husband in Ohio, derailing plans I had to attend graduate school elsewhere, and affording my academic pursuits to be completed without financial hardship. I am grateful to Kent State University for providing a program which has given me close access to faculty and allowed me to create a meaningful and fulfilling experience. I am indebted to Dr. Richard Feinberg for his inspiring wisdom and expertise, his unwavering patience and guidance, and his accessibility and good humor. My gratitude to my husband, Patrick Pyrek, for making all this possible and enjoyable, is immense. vi CHAPTER I Introduction Statement of Purpose Distant travel to unfamiliar or undifferentiated landscapes (or seascapes) invokes the need for orientation. Magnetic compasses and so-called star compasses have been well described in navigational and anthropological literature. While “wind compasses” have been important navigational tools in some geographic regions, there are only vague hints of wind compasses in Oceania, an area renowned for voyaging and navigational acumen. One notable exception involves the island of Taumako, whose wind compass has been the subject of study by Marianne George for close to two decades. George’s findings and interpretations are presented on the website of the Vaka Taumako Project (http://www.pacifictraditions.org/vaka/). Here I offer an alternative interpretation, based on notes compiled by Richard Feinberg through nine months of ethnographic field study in 2007 and 2008. In the end, I will demonstrate that “wind compass” is a misnomer. What has been characterized as a wind compass on Taumako, and perhaps elsewhere, is part of a complex navigational toolkit that also draws on stars, wave patterns, and other natural phenomena for purposes of Oceanic way-finding. 1 2 George developed her model