The Legacy of Master Mau Piailug - Wayfinder

The Hawaiian art of Star Navigation was all but lost until Mau Piailug, a Micronesian master, came to Hawaii and shared his ancient knowledge of wayfinding using the stars and swells to navigate the Pacific Ocean.

The Hawaii Polynesian Voyaging Society built the Hokule’a using historical records to revive a lost tradition, which became extinct during colonial times.

Mau Pialiug took Hawaiian sailor Nainoa Thompson under his wings and guided the Hokule’a on a returning voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii. Read the JSTOR article by Imogen Lepere.