We are bounded in
a nutshell of Infinite Space: Free Form #1: Polynesian Astronomy
Possibly the greatest seafaring culture the world has ever know, the Ancient Polynesians were men and women from the Southwest Pacific who sailed from isle to isle, land to land, and developed a rich culture based on their lives on the sea and the stars they looked upon in the nights. They were the earliest settlers of most of the islands of the Pacific, including Hawaii, Easter Island, the Society Islands, las Marquesas, and New Zealand.
Navigating thousands of miles,
they established an entire religion around the sea and skies, Mataraki was the
woman who signaled the coming of the New Year, who we now know by the name
Pleiades. These stories describe the stars as the people of the sky, families,
mothers, fathers, and sons, all children of the Sky and Earth (Rangi &
Papa). The Maori, the indigenous people of the Polynesian islands, were master
craftsmen as well. They designed and embarked on their double- hulled voyage
canoes, ships barely 30 feet in length which were strong enough to tackle the
Pacific Oceans with its immense waves and currents, not to mention the rain
spells and storms.
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| Rangi and Papa |
Even more impressive is the fact they did all this by
memorizing their constellations and several basic stars like Polaris and what
we know as the Southern Cross. They used no instruments other than the boat
beneath their feet to sail the expanse of the ocean, understanding the way
winds, fish, birds, ocean swells, and cloud formations came into play to
determine how close to land they were, whether they should expect difficult
weather, and how to react in general. One of the most difficult tasks was
sailing at night, not because of the lack of navigation points, but rather
having to predict the waves and adjust course when you never knew what to
expect.
These were a group of people who revered the stars that led them to
their homes, they were explorers, adventurers, and archetypes of humanity’s
destiny, to pursue the stars, and find new lands to know, so as to better
appreciate the home we come from.
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This is very interesting, keep up the good work!
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