TED - What You Can Learn Crossing the Ocean in a Canoe | Lehua Kamalu | TED
The speaker, Leua Kamalu, a captain and navigator, explains the importance of traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes in connecting distant islands and preserving cultural heritage. Over time, the need for deep ocean travel diminished, and with colonization, much of the navigational knowledge was lost. In the mid-20th century, prevailing scientific views doubted the navigational skills of Polynesians, attributing their island settlements to chance. However, a team decided to revive these traditional practices by rebuilding canoes and learning ancient navigation techniques. This effort was supported by teachers like Mao, who helped navigate a newly built canoe to Tahiti in 1976, marking the beginning of modern Polynesian navigation. Kamalu, part of the third generation of modern voyagers, emphasizes the reliance on natural observations for navigation, highlighting the cyclical patterns in nature. She stresses the importance of understanding the impact of voyages on places and people, aiming to share knowledge and experiences for a better future.
Key Points:
- Traditional Polynesian voyaging techniques were crucial for connecting islands and preserving culture.
- Colonization led to the loss of navigational knowledge, with scientific views doubting Polynesian skills.
- A revival effort in the 1970s rebuilt canoes and relearned navigation, proving traditional methods viable.
- Navigators rely on natural patterns and observations, such as stars and weather, for guidance.
- Voyages aim to impact positively, sharing knowledge and experiences for cultural and personal growth.
Details:
1. 🌊 Embracing the Voyage: Unplugging and Unity
- Voyaging requires individuals to disconnect from digital devices, which can pose emotional challenges as it involves leaving behind familiar routines and interactions.
- To ensure a successful voyage, each participant must focus on understanding and executing their specific role effectively.
- The overarching goal of the voyage is to navigate the canoe successfully from start to finish, which necessitates teamwork and unity among all participants.
2. 🛶 Traditional Navigation: A Cultural Heritage
- Leua Kamalu is a captain and navigator specializing in traditional voyaging canoes.
- Her work is associated with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, emphasizing cultural heritage.
- The Polynesian Voyaging Society plays a crucial role in preserving traditional navigation techniques, fostering cultural pride and historical understanding.
- Traditional navigation is not just a method of travel but an integral part of cultural identity, connecting communities with their ancestral roots.
- The society's efforts have led to a resurgence in interest and respect for these ancient techniques, highlighting their relevance in contemporary times.
3. 🌺 The Decline of Polynesian Navigation
- Polynesian navigation originally played a crucial role in connecting distant islands via voyaging canoes, facilitating cultural exchange and resource sharing.
- Over time, the necessity for deep ocean travel diminished due to increased settlement and self-sufficiency of island communities, leading to a decline in traditional navigation practices.
- Technological advancements and the introduction of Western navigation tools further contributed to the decline, as reliance on indigenous methods decreased.
- The decline in navigation skills resulted in a loss of cultural heritage and traditional knowledge, impacting societal structures and inter-island relationships.
- Efforts to revive traditional navigation, such as the formation of groups like the Polynesian Voyaging Society, highlight the cultural significance and renewed interest in preserving these skills.
4. 📜 Reawakening Ancestral Skills: The Canoe Revival
- Colonization in Polynesia and Hawaii led to a significant decline in traditional navigational skills and canoe building due to the death of native Navigators and cultural suppression.
- Although traditional knowledge persisted in stories, the lack of practice resulted in skepticism about its authenticity and continued existence.
- The decline in population and cultural practices due to colonization critically endangered these skills, highlighting the need for a cultural revival to preserve and honor ancestral heritage.
5. 🚢 Reviving the Art of Navigation: A New Era Begins
- A prevailing narrative from the 1950s to 1970s suggested that Hawaiians or Polynesians lacked the skills to construct or navigate canoes, implying island settlement was accidental via drifting on winds and currents.
- A group challenged this narrative by planning to rebuild a traditional canoe and navigate it using ancestral methods, demonstrating intentionality and skill in Polynesian navigation.
- Teachers, including one named Mao, played a crucial role in educating the group in traditional navigation techniques.
- The newly built canoe, designed to replicate historical methods, was successfully sailed to Tahiti, showcasing the effectiveness of traditional Polynesian navigation.
6. 🌌 Navigating by Nature: Observations and Impact
- In 1976, modern voyagers revived traditional Polynesian navigation by launching the Hokulea, a historic Hawaiian canoe, without GPS or modern equipment.
- The speaker, part of the third generation and the first woman to solo navigate Hokulea traditionally in over 300 years, emphasizes the importance of these methods.
- Traditional navigation uses natural patterns, such as celestial movements, weather cycles, and ocean waves, requiring keen environmental awareness and all senses, including the scent of coconuts from islands.
- These voyages underscore the sensitivity to one's environmental impact and aim to leave a positive legacy for future generations.
- The goal is to not only navigate but also to share knowledge and experiences that contribute to a better future, demonstrating the practical and cultural significance of these methods.