Archived Pages from 20th Century!!



  
 
The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) was founded in 1973 as an organization to research the means by which Polynesian seafarers discovered and settled nearly every inhabitable island in the Pacific Ocean before European explorers found the ocean in the 16th century. Some scholars have argued that the Polynesian drifted to these islands by accident; PVS set out to show that a voyaging canoe of Polynesian design could be navigated without instruments over the long, open ocean migration routes of Polynesia.

Since 1975, PVS has built two replicas of ancient canoes--Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa--and conducted five voyages to the South Pacific to retrace migration routes and recover traditional canoe-building and wayfinding (non-instrument navigation) arts.

 In 1992, PVS shifted its emphasis from scientific research and the recovery of voyaging traditions to education and exploration of the future well being and survival of the land, sea, and people of Hawai'i and the planet earth.

 

Current Activities & Programs

Newsletters: Kau (Dry Season) 1997: Aloha, Wrighto; Joining Islands; Inspired Learning; Ho'oilo (Rainy Season) 1997: Malama Hawai'i--1996-1997 Statewide Sail; Project Ho'olokahi: High School Voyaging Programs--1997; Ho'oilo (Rainy Season) 1996: The Exploration Learning Center (High School and College Voyaging Education Programs--1996).

(See Below for Links to Related Web Sites.) 

History and Traditions

Voyages (1976-1995): Past voyages sponsored by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, from the first triumphant voyage of Hokule'a to Tahiti in 1976, to the journey of Hawai'iloa from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, in 1995.
Life on a Canoe: What it's like to live for a month on board a replica of an ancient voyaging canoe: the journal of 1992 Hokule'a crew member Wallace Wong, from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands to Hawai'i.
Wayfinding (Non-instrument Navigation): The art of wayfinding as it was practiced by ancient Tahitians and Hawaiians, as well as how it is practiced today during its modern revival.
Polynesian Migrations: How Polynesia was settled; Map of Polynesia.
Canoe Building : The building of the voyaging canoes Hokule'a (1973-1975) and Hawai'iloa (1990-1993); the ancient art of canoe-building.
Voyaging Traditions (Hawaiian Proverbs and Traditional Stories): Proverbs related to voyaging, with illustrations by Melanie Lessett and Helene Iverson; stories of legendary Hawaiian and Tahitian voyagers.

Links to Related Web Sites & Bibliographies

Bishop Museum's "Hawai'iloa, Ka 'Imi 'Ike, Seeker of Knowledge Exhibit": The building of Hawai'iloa; the recovery of traditional voyaging arts; the 1995 voyage to Nukuhiva and back.

  Traditional Navigation in the Western Pacific. A website by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Information and diagrams about traditional navigation as practiced in Micronesia. Photos of Mau Piailug and Micronesian canoes. Written by Stephen Thomas and Ward Goodenough.

Bibliographies: 1. Polynesian Migration and Voyaging; 2. Wayfinding; 3. Canoes and Canoe-Building; 4. Isles of Hiva (Marquesas Islands)

The Polynesian Voyaging Society Information Service is a public service of PVS. All information in these files are copyrighted by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, except those writings that are in the public domain, or those that have been adapted from copyrighted documents with the permission of the copyright owners. Acknowledgements: Paintings by Herb Kawainui Kane; electronic graphics by Tim Chun; drawings by Melanie Lessett and Helene Iverson; photos by the crew members of Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa.
Send comments and inquiries to [email protected]