Hōkūle’a: Finding the Language of the Navigator

Reflecting on the significance of Hōkūle’a, a performance-accurate wa’a kaulua, or Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe, launched in 1975, master navigator, Nainoa Thompson, and anthropologist, Wade Davis, recall their experiences learning traditional navigation techniques from legendary navigator, Mau Piailung. Their reminiscences raise discussion about the deep wisdom of indigenous wayfinding methods, human relationships with the sea, and the future of traditional navigation. The story of Hōkūle’a emerges as one of intergenerational transmission and cultural inheritance of alternative, indigenous ways of knowing and moving through the world.

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