We, the navigators : the ancient art of landfinding in the Pacific

Abstract

For many centuries the peoples of the Pacific have voyaged over the vast stretches of empty ocean that lie between the island groups. The intriguing question of how they navigated these trackless seas has for long fascinated many people. This book gives the answer. Dr Lewis discovered that the ancient arts of navigation, passed by word of mouth from generation to generation, are still known to men who have put them into practice. The ocean, empty to us, is for the skilled Island mariners full of signs to steer by, indicators of invisible land. Under the guidance and instruction of Island navigators, and using the Islanders{u2019} techniques and no other navigational aids, Dr Lewis tested these arts and never failed to reach his often distant landfall. The book, combining as it does the results of practical teaching and a study of the documentary sources, opens a whole new field of speculation on settlement of the Pacific islands by showing how migration could have taken place. But its interest is not only for the specialist. All whose maginations are caught by the adventure of navigation, small-boat sailing, and the Pacific, will find it compulsive reading.