WE, THE NAVIGATORS: THE ANCIENT ART OF LANDFINDING IN THE PACIFIC PDF, EPUB, EBOOK David Lewis,Derek Oulton | 200 pages | 31 Oct 1994 | University of Hawai'i Press | 9780824815820 | English | Honolulu, HI, United States We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific PDF Book The book is organized by navigational technique and generally follows Lewis's own voyages with Micronesian navigators in the Caroline Islands. Compared to Heyerdahl's narratives of his voyages, We the Navigators is more satisfying from the standpoint of understanding the navigational aspects. Feb 16, Carl Sholin rated it it was amazing Shelves: ethnography. Second, when we were cruising the South Pacfic in we were privileged to meet one of the main characters featured in the book, Hippour, one of the last surviving natural navigators on his home island of Puluwat Atoll, near Truk in Micronesia. Community Reviews. Succeeds admirably. Although there are usually swift currents around islands, the major currents take over more than 5—6 miles from land. Product details Format Paperback pages Dimensions Any information you do submit will be stored securely and will never be passed on or sold to any third party. Navigation in context: grand theories and basic mechanisms. We use cookies to improve this site Cookies are used to provide, analyse and improve our services; provide chat tools; and show you relevant content on advertising. More Filters. Their boats were faster and better than anything the "civilized" world had. Return to Book Page. The preferred size for long distances throughout Oceania was 50—75 feet, which were least likely to succumb in storms and could carry up to 50 people. The reasons for voyaging vary from recreation to one way trips for colonization. Related Papers. Jul 04, Richard marked it as to-read Shelves: nonfiction , sailing. Mar 29, Bob rated it liked it Recommends it for: Bill Lyons. In he made the first single-handed voyage to and from Antarctica. Following his longstanding interest in old navigational methods used to explore and populate the Pacific, he employed similar techniques for the Tahiti-New Zealand leg of the Rehu Moana voyage without using a compass, sextant or marine chronometer. The major currents are east to west in most parts of Polynesia and Micronesia, but there is a narrow band of the equatorial counter current going west to east. Readers also enjoyed. His studies, published in the book We, The Navigators, made these navigational methods known to a wi Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Consider this: while the Europeans were struggling across the Atlantic, these people were covering vast swaths of the Pacific Ocean. We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific Writer Website log files collect information on all requests for pages and files on this website's web servers. The book is organized by navigational technique and generally follows Lewis's own voyages with Micronesian navigators in the Caroline Islands. Fascinating explanation of traditional navigation techniques used by island people from the Pacific - interpreting clouds, swell, birds, following star compasses and much more. The hulls were generally V-shaped made of planks held together by coconut fibre, which would be replaced after a long voyage. The author travelled with a number of different South Pacific navigators. Seller Inventory Succeeds admirably. My favorite moment is when one of the teachers explains the best way to really feel the direction of the waves is to stand on deck and feel which way your balls swing. These can make a difference of 40 miles per day. Paperback , pages. Tahiti to Hawaii , miles across the prevailing winds is impossible to drift but fine for sailing. Overall a very good and serviceable copy, tight and bright. Published by Australian National University Press View 3 excerpts, cites background. Welcome back. Although stars rise four minutes earlier each night Lewis is at something of a loss to make sense of this phenomenon, and although I have followed it up, there is not a lot of information out there. View 6 excerpts, cites background. In the Gilbert Islands, characteristic cloud patterns are the preferred means of locating islands. Items related to We, the navigators: The ancient art of landfinding They could find land by observing the behaviour of seabirds, watch. Jun 30, Matthew Stuart rated it really liked it Shelves: boat-porn. The second edition of David Lewis' classic book on Pacific navigation promises to satisfy yet again scholars and seafarers alike - and all others who have marveled at the ability of island mariners to navigate hundreds of miles of open ocean without instruments. The Melanesians of British New Guinea. We offer the use of a secure server. They could orient themselves by the rocking of their canoes in the deep ocean swells. See his book Daughters of the Wind. Provisioning allowed for trips up to a month which could be extended by another two weeks without undue hardship. Not only was he a fine sailor, but he was a deep reader, avid writer and clearly a charismatic person. Showing Succeeds admirably. Refresh and try again. While an extraordinarily niche topic, the author starts out by laying out his bonafides and those of the locals he's learning from before systematically setting out topic by topic the craft and the techniques of ancient Pacific navigation. Research Feed. Seller Inventory ABE While there, he was welcomed into the cultures of various Pacific Islanders such as Hipour, who taught him their navigational lore, heretofore largely unrecognized by those outside Polynesia. We, the Navigators is a work of great depth, and one of the most detailed investigations of an ancient art that is being lost forever. Sadly when we met Hippour believe he was 68 at the time he told us that he could no longer interest any of the young men on the island to become his students. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Citation Type. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page, and update the Privacy Policy modification date. We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific Reviews More information about this seller Contact this seller. First, the name of my sailboat, Kavenga, which I have owned since came from its pages. From the Back Cover : The second edition of David Lewis' classic book on Pacific navigation promises to satisfy yet again scholars and seafarers alike - and all others who have marveled at the ability of island mariners to navigate hundreds of miles of open ocean without instruments. To ask other readers questions about We, the Navigators , please sign up. He later decided to sail around the world with his second wife and two small daughters, and built the ocean cruising catamaran Rehu Moana, for this purpose. Through it one gains insight into the rich history of long-distance and inter-island voyaging in the Pacific. We are just beginning to catch up to them with all our technological wonders. Seller Image. Search for all books with this author and title. Their boats were faster and better than anything the "civilized" world had. The new edition includes a discussion of theories about traditional methods of navigation developed during the past two decades, the story of the renaissance of star navigation throughout the Pacific, and material about navigation system in Indonesia, Siberia, and the Indian Ocean. After a transaction, your private information credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc. Read more Launch Research Feed. Cookie Preferences We use cookies and similar tools, including those used by approved third parties collectively, "cookies" for the purposes described below. But because of prevailing winds, westerly drifts are far more common than easterly. David Lewis sailed with some of the few remaining Polynesian navigators, observing their techniques as they made successful landfalls after voyages of hundreds of miles. When earth and sky almost meet: The conflict between traditional knowledge and modernity in Polynesian navigation. Second impression. Seriously, this is a book of wonders. Free delivery worldwide. Accept all Manage Cookies. This new edition includes a discussion of theories about traditional methods of navigation developed during recent decades, the story of the renaissance of star navigation throughout the Pacific, and material about navigation systems in Indonesia, Siberia, and the Indian Ocean. Marianne Mimi George, he proposed that original Polynesian navigation is still alive in the Polynesian outlier Taumako. Although there are usually swift currents around islands, the major currents take over more than 5—6 miles from land. My favorite moment is when one of the teachers explains the best way to really feel the direction of the waves is to stand on deck and feel which way your balls swing. The prime method of coping with currents is by taking backsights on the land when leaving so as to be able to estimate the current and also the leeway the angle the boat is drifting off the wind. These cookies are necessary to provide our site and services and therefore cannot be disabled. Add links. Their estimates of distance made good seems to be largely intuitive, based on long experience, and their sense of position derives from keeping in mind where 'home' and other islands are, which can be maintained even when blown far in a gale. Seller Inventory ABE The book is largely based on these voyages, but there are extensive references to the literature. He was sent to the Polynesian school in Rarotonga, where he apparently developed his appreciation for Polynesian identity and culture.