Exploring the Pacific - Wayfinding - Extra History - Part 2

Summary

The script explores the remarkable 'Wayfinding' techniques used by Austronesian voyagers to navigate the Pacific Ocean. It discusses their advanced sailing technologies, such as the Crab Claw sail, and how they utilized celestial bodies and natural cues to locate land. The script also delves into the origins of the Austronesians, their migration patterns, and the diverse societies they established across the Pacific, hinting at the cultures to be discussed in the next episode.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The Pacific Ocean, despite its vastness, was not empty to the Austronesian voyagers; it was filled with navigational landmarks like the sun, moon, stars, currents, clouds, debris, fish, and birds.
• 🗺️ 'Wayfinding' is the discipline used by Pacific voyagers that combines celestial navigation and knowledge of the natural world to determine direction and locate land.
• 🏝️ Austronesians are a language group spread across Asia and the Pacific, not an ethnicity, with shared cultural markers and boat-building styles.
• 📅 The Austronesian expansion began around 3000-1500 BCE, starting from Taiwan and eventually settling across maritime Southeast Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
• 🚣‍♂️ The Crab Claw Sail, a triangular sail design, was crucial for Austronesian sailing, allowing them to sail against the wind and carry substantial cargo for long voyages.
• 🛶 Voyaging canoes were often double-hulled or had outriggers for stability, and could carry enough supplies for extended voyages, including livestock and crops.
• 🌌 Pacific navigators used the stars as a guide, memorizing their positions throughout the year to create a mental star-map for navigation.
• 🌞 They also relied on the sun, moon, and planets for orientation, and the Southern Cross was particularly important for determining the south in the absence of Polaris.
• 🌤️ Cloud formations could indicate the presence of land, as they tend to build up around high islands, and reflections in cloud layers could reveal atolls.
• 🐦 Seabirds were one of the best indicators of land, as their behavior and flight patterns could suggest the proximity of islands.
• 🌐 The Austronesians' ability to navigate using the Earth's electromagnetic field, possibly through observing bird behavior, suggests a deep understanding of natural phenomena.

Q & A

What is the term for the discipline that uses celestial navigation and knowledge of the natural world to locate islands in the Pacific Ocean?

The term for this discipline is 'Wayfinding', which encompasses both celestial navigation and knowledge of the natural world to determine direction and provide clues about the presence of land.

Who were the Austronesians and how are they defined?

The Austronesians are defined less as an ethnicity and more as a language group, consisting of people across Asia and the Pacific whose languages derived from an older Austronesian root language, and who also share various cultural markers.

What is the significance of the Crab Claw Sail in the context of Austronesian navigation?

The Crab Claw Sail is a revolutionary sail design that allowed Austronesian sailors to sail against prevailing winds. It is a triangular sail that widens at the top and is supported by two spars, catching wind effectively even between swells and spilling wind to prevent damage during ocean voyages.

Why were double-hulled or outrigger canoes necessary for the Crab Claw Sail?

Double-hulled or outrigger canoes were necessary to prevent capsizing due to the concentration of wind force at the top of the Crab Claw Sail. These canoes provided a wide, stable beam while maximizing speed with narrow, shallow-draft hulls.

How did the Austronesian navigators use the stars for navigation?

Austronesian navigators used the stars by memorizing their positions and movements throughout the year. They constructed a mental star-map with the canoe at the center and the sky divided into quadrants around it, requiring years of study.

What role did the Southern Cross play in navigation for Austronesian sailors?

In the Southern Hemisphere, where Polaris is not visible, Austronesian navigators determined the South by taking a mental measurement to a point slightly to the right of the constellation known as the Southern Cross.

How did Pacific voyagers use the natural world as a compass aside from the stars?

Pacific voyagers used the rising and setting of the sun, the position of the moon, planets, ocean currents, wave patterns, and the behavior of clouds and wildlife to navigate, aside from the stars.

What clues could clouds provide about the presence of land for Austronesian navigators?

Clouds could indicate the presence of land by building up in specific formations around high mountainous islands or reflecting on the underside of a cloud layer when above the lagoon center of a low-lying atoll.

How did seabirds help Austronesian navigators locate land?

Seabirds provided clues by their flight patterns and behaviors. For instance, a fisher bird seen in the morning was likely hunting near land, and following it could lead to land. Navigators also followed birds carrying fish back to their nests.

What was the significance of the Tahitian navigator and priest Tupaia's map during James Cook's voyage?

Tupaia's map recorded 130 islands within a 2000-mile radius of Tahiti, demonstrating the extensive knowledge of the Pacific geography held by Austronesian navigators.

What were some of the reasons for the Austronesian migrations according to the script?

Some scholars believe the migrations were due to political or religious conflicts, while others suggest it was a measure to deal with overpopulation, where ships were sent out to find and colonize new islands when an island became too crowded.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Wayfinding and Austronesian Voyagers

This paragraph discusses the remarkable navigational skills of the Austronesian people, who were able to traverse the vast Pacific Ocean using a system known as 'Wayfinding.' This discipline combined celestial navigation with knowledge of natural phenomena to not only determine direction but also to locate landmasses. The Austronesians, a linguistic group rather than an ethnicity, used advanced sailing technologies like the Crab Claw Sail, which allowed them to travel against prevailing winds. Their voyages, which began around 3000-1500 BCE, led to the settlement of maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including the far reaches of Polynesia. The paragraph also touches on the possible reasons for their migrations, such as political or religious conflicts and overpopulation.

05:01

🌌 Celestial Navigation and Natural World Compass

The second paragraph delves into the specific techniques used by Pacific navigators for wayfinding. They relied on natural landmarks such as the sun, moon, stars, and even the behavior of fish and birds to navigate. In the Northern Hemisphere, Polaris was a key reference, while in the Southern Hemisphere, navigators used the Southern Cross. They had to memorize the positions of stars throughout the year and create mental star-maps. Navigators also used the motion of the canoe and wave patterns to sense ocean currents and could detect land by observing cloud formations and debris. The behavior of seabirds was particularly valuable, as they could indicate the proximity of land. The paragraph concludes by hinting at the societal structures and cultural diversity that resulted from these migrations, which will be explored in a future discussion.

Keywords

💡Austronesians

The Austronesians are not defined by ethnicity but rather by a language group. These are people spread across Asia and the Pacific, whose languages evolved from a common Austronesian root. Culturally, they share practices like petroglyphs, stilt houses, and specific boat-building styles. The script explains how their mastery of voyaging and navigation allowed them to settle vast parts of maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

💡Wayfinding

Wayfinding is a form of navigation used by Pacific voyagers that incorporates both celestial navigation and environmental cues such as currents, wind patterns, and the behavior of wildlife. The script highlights how Pacific voyagers viewed the ocean as full of landmarks and used their knowledge of the natural world to navigate and discover new islands, showing how advanced their navigation techniques were.

💡Crab Claw Sail

The Crab Claw Sail is a triangular sail design that widens at the top and is supported by two spars. It was a revolutionary innovation for the Austronesians, allowing their canoes to navigate effectively against prevailing winds. The script emphasizes the sail’s importance in long Pacific voyages, explaining how it catches wind where it is strongest and reduces the risk of capsizing.

💡Voyaging Canoe

Voyaging canoes were double-hulled or had outriggers, making them stable and capable of carrying large amounts of cargo for long-distance oceanic journeys. The script describes how these canoes, powered by the Crab Claw Sail, could transport people, livestock, and crops across the Pacific, enabling the Austronesian migrations and settlement of far-flung islands.

💡Celestial Navigation

Celestial navigation refers to the use of the sun, moon, stars, and planets to determine direction. The script mentions how Pacific voyagers used stars like Polaris and the Southern Cross, along with memorized star maps, to guide their voyages. This technique was essential for finding new islands across vast oceanic distances.

💡Polynesia

Polynesia refers to the group of islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean that were some of the last places to be settled by Austronesian voyagers. The script talks about the Austronesians reaching remote islands like Hawaii, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and New Zealand by around 1000 to 1200 CE, showcasing the vast reach of their maritime culture.

💡Southern Cross

The Southern Cross (Crux Australis) is a constellation used by navigators in the Southern Hemisphere to determine the direction of the south. The script describes how Pacific navigators who couldn't see Polaris (the North Star) used this constellation as an alternative for orientation in the southern Pacific.

💡Migration

Migration in this context refers to the Austronesian people’s movement across vast areas of the Pacific. The script explains how political, religious conflicts, or overpopulation may have driven these migrations. Through several waves, these migrations led to the settlement of different islands and regions, creating diverse cultures across Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

💡Star Maps

Star maps are mental maps created by Pacific navigators to remember the positions of stars throughout the year for navigation purposes. In Micronesia, these maps were sometimes constructed using sticks and shells, while in Polynesia, they were passed down through chants and stories. These maps were crucial for long oceanic voyages.

💡Tupaia

Tupaia was a Tahitian navigator and priest who traveled with Captain James Cook on his voyage to New Zealand. The script mentions how Tupaia created a map that included 130 islands within a 2000-mile radius of Tahiti, illustrating the depth of knowledge Pacific navigators had about the geography of the region.

Highlights

Wayfinding is a technique used by Pacific voyagers that combines celestial navigation with the knowledge of the natural world to find islands and travel vast ocean distances.

Austronesian people are less defined by ethnicity and more by a language group, spreading from Taiwan to Hawaii and Sri Lanka, with shared cultural markers such as petroglyphs, stilt houses, and boat building styles.

Pre-Austronesians settled in Taiwan during the Neolithic period, and around 3000 to 1500 BCE, Austronesians began their voyages to the Philippines, sparking a multi-millennial series of migrations across maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

By 1000 to 1200 CE, Austronesians had reached the farthest parts of Polynesia, including Hawaii, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and New Zealand, forming a diverse array of societies along the way.

The Crab Claw Sail, a triangular sail design, was revolutionary in helping Austronesians sail against prevailing winds. It allowed canoes to catch strong winds higher off the water and avoid capsizing by spilling wind during gusts.

Voyaging canoes were double-hulled, creating a wide, stable craft that could carry up to 11,000 pounds of cargo, including livestock and crops, enabling long-distance ocean voyages.

Pacific voyagers used stars, sun, moon, and planets to orient themselves, with Polaris being the main orientation point in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Cross in the Southern Hemisphere.

Navigators memorized star maps and constellations as they changed with the seasons, often taught through songs and chants, creating extensive mental maps of the sky.

Tahitian navigator Tupaia, who sailed with James Cook, was able to draw a map of 130 islands within a 2000-mile radius of Tahiti, showcasing the precision of Pacific wayfinding knowledge.

Navigators could read ocean currents and wave patterns by feeling the movement of the canoe or dipping their hand in the water, adding to their navigational tools.

Cloud formations could indicate land presence over the horizon, especially around high mountainous islands or reflecting from lagoons in low-lying atolls.

Debris like floating plant matter or coconuts, as well as seabird behaviors, were used to detect nearby land during voyages.

Seabirds, especially fishers and migratory species, played a critical role in navigation as their flight patterns often indicated the direction of land.

Early Pacific explorers may have been the first to navigate using Earth's electromagnetic field, by following the migratory paths of birds.

Next episode promises to explore the settlement of the Pacific, highlighting how the Austronesian migrations led to the development of unique island societies and monumental cultural achievements.

Transcripts

Mine is the migrating bird,

winging far over remote oceans

Ever pointing out the sea road of the Black Heron

The dark cloud in the sky of night

It is the road of the winds, coursed by the sea kings

to unknown lands

Last week we talked about the great distances and dangers

of the Pacific Ocean

And how, even today, it is hard to conceive of its vast empty spaces

But we also mentioned that, to the voyagers of the Pacific

it didn't seem that empty at all

To them, it was full of landmarks, from the sun and moon, to stars

currents, clouds, debris, fish

and birds, whose behavior could help them locate islands

even if they were previously unknown to humans

This discipline is called "Wayfinding", a term that encompases

both celestial navigation, as well as knowledge of the natural world

it can not only determine direction but also

provide clues about the presence of land

And it was these techniques and advanced sailing technologies

that allowed the Austronesian-speaking peoples and the cultures that evolved from them

to settle maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific

So who were the Austronesians?

Well to put it simply, the Austronesian are less an ethnicity and more of a language group

A series of people across Asia

and the Pacific, whose languages derived

from an older Austronesian root language

And who also have various cultural markers

like petroglyphs, stilt houses, and boat building styles

Today, people speaking Austronesian languages

can be found from Taiwan all the way to Hawaii and Sri Lanka

And, according to the mainstream hypotheses,

pre-Austronesians even settled Taiwan during the Neolithic period

Then, roughly between 3000

and 1500 BCE, those Austronesians

made their first voyages out of Taiwan

south to the Philippines

And this kickstarted a multi-millennia series of voyages

where the Austronesians and the cultures that followed them

settled all of maritime Southeast Asia

then struck east into Melanesia and Micronesia

And the, by about 1000 to 1200CE

they had arrived into the farthest flung parts of Polynesia, Hawaii

Raspa Nui and New Zealand

On the way, they fragmented and changed, forming a large number of societies

we have already talked about on this show

From the Champa kingdoms in our Angkor wat series

to the Javanese of Majapahit

Indeed, several waves of migration would overlap each other in Micronesia

and Melanesia, creating a diverse and varried array of cultures

Some scholars think these migrations were due to political

or religious conflicts, while others suggest that

it was a measure to deal with overpopulation

When an island got too crowded, you just sent out

ships to find and colonize another

But whatever the reason, they kept sailing east

A direction that was, incredibly, mostly against the prevailing winds

A feat that would have been much more difficult if not for a revolutionary sail design

known as the Crab Claw Sail

Crab Claws are type of triangular sail that widens at the top

supported by 2 spars

And, although these sails themselves would become modified at various places in the Pacific

The basic premise remains the same

It is an extremely high sail with the largest part further off the water

where the wind is strongest and where it can catch gusts

even when between swells

They also have the advantage of spilling the wind when hit by a sudden gust

preventing damage in the middle of an ocean voyage

And while not as efficient or versatile as later sailing rigs

for its time, the Crab Claw was the top of its class

But concentrating all of that wind at the top of the sail

meant the ship needed to be wide so it wouldn't capsize

Which is why all of the canoes using them were either double-hulled or had an outrigger

Voyaging Canoes were generally double-hulled

giving the craft a wide stable beam

while still maximizing speed, by keeping the 2 hulls narrow and with shallow draft

Helmsmen controlled the craft with a single steering oar in the rear

And, because the hull is the same front and back

the craft can run in reverse, just by turning the sails around

The canoe hulls themselves, and the wide deck between them

could carry large amounts of cargo

about 11,000 pounds (5000kg) in a 60 foot vessel (18m) including crew

Meaning, it could stock enough food for long voyages

And this often included livestock such as pigs, chickens,

domesticated dogs and food crops that could be planted

upon their arrival on a new island

But OK, now you're wondering, and rightfully so

if we have an ocean-going canoe

that can survive unknown Pacific and run fast on the trade winds

how do you figure out where you're trying to go?

Especially if you're hoping to discover a new island

Enter "Wayfinding"

As the chant that began this episode illustrates

The Pacific voyagers didn't consider the ocean to be an empty space

Instead, it was the road of the winds

a complex landscape of currents and gyres that could be read by touch

and form a map when combined with the stars

and the prevailing wind patterns

At its simplest, it can mean orientating a canoe by landmarks

For instance, in Hawaii, the name of a particular channel, between two of the islands

literally translates to "the road to Tahiti."

Because voyagers could sail to the channel

take bearings and get a straight line path to Tahiti

2600 miles (4200km) away

Sailing in a straight line however, is almost never possible due to weather conditions

But this would at least get a navigator a navigator off on the right heading

They would then have to use the natural world as a compass

Orienting themselves by the rising and setting of the sun

the position of the moon, the planets

and particularly the stars

In the Northern Hemisphere, the chief orientation point was

Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star, as it was

the only one who wouldn't move

But Polaris is not visible in the Southern Hemisphere

so there, navigators would determine South

via taking a mental mesurement

to a point slightly to the right of a constellation called the "Southern Cross" (Crux Australis)

Other stars could indicate waypoints as well

For example: in the latitude of Hawaii

the star Arcturus lays directly overhead

Therefore, voyagers trying to map their way home to the islands

would simply go to the point where the star was at its zenith

But of course stars move depending on the time of year

so this meant that Pacific navigators coud not simple memorize one position of the stars,

they had to memorize how the appeared at every time of the year

Navigators would construct

A sort of star-map in their head

with the canoe in the center and the sky divided into quadrants around it

an absolutely monumental task

that required years of study

In Micronesia, this memorization process might be done

on star charts made of sticks and shells

discarded once a navigator went to sea

But in Polynesia it was taught through chants, songs

and stories with mnemonic devices

and these mind maps could be extensive

For instance, when James Cook made his voyage from Tahiti to New Zealand

he took along with him the Tahitian navigator and priest Tupaia

as a translator and guide

and when asked to draw a map of the Pacific

Tupaia crafted a chart that recorded 130 islands

within a 2000 mile (3200km) radius of Tahiti

Navigators could also use the rocking of the canoe or a hand in the water

to read ocean currents or wave patterns

And in certain conditions, the clouds could betray the presence of land

even when if lay over the horizon, out of range of sight

and this is because clouds build up in specific formations

around high mountainous islands, indicating their positions

while the lagoon center of a low-laying atoll

could also reflect on the underside of a cloud layer

And then of course there was debris, such as floating plant matter or coconuts

when washed out to sea, that could also indicate an island nearby

But the best indicator was the wildlife

While certain types of fish become more abudant near land

it was the seabirds that provided the greatest clues

Pacific navigators understood the flight ranges of native birds

as well as their behaviours

Sighting a fisher bird streaking by in the morning,

a navigator could be certain it had flown away from the shore to hunt

and if they turned their canoe toward where it came from

they had a pretty good change they'd find land

Alternately, a navigator might see a bird flying with a fish in its beak

and in that case, it was definitely going back to shore to feed its young

so they could simply follow it

Indeed some full voyages may have simply followed the path of migratory birds

reasoning that large groups of birds

were not simply streaming out to commit suicide in the middle of the ocean

and that they were going somewhere

And the really cool thing to think is, if that is true it would

mean that the early Pacific explorers were the first

to navigate the world using the Earth's electromagnetic field

Though admittedly, through some of our feathered friends

But what happened when these early explorers did find a new island?

What kind of societies did they build?

And how did they differ from place to place?

Well, you're in luck! Because next time

we break down the settlement of the Pacific, step by step

talking about the wide variety of cultures the Austronesians spawned

From the island societies that built great structures and canals from stone

to the statues of Rapa Nui and the Maori of New Zealand

and the two waves of migrations that colonized the most remote island on Earth

Hawaii

A big legendary thanks to: Ahmed Ziad Turk, Alicia Bramble, Casey Muscha, Dominic Valenciana, Gunnar Clovis, Kyle Murgatroyd and Orels1