WONDERFUL NAVIGATORS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16201, 26 November 1926, Page 10

WONDERFUL NAVIGATORS

POLYNESIAN MIGRANTS. STORY OF MAGIC CALABASH. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, last night. The knowledge of navigation and the means of fixing positions possessed by the. oldtimo Polynesian migrants was a subejet regarding winch some interesting information was supplied by Dr. P. Buck in an address to members of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Iki described a number of voyages, basing his remarks on traditional and other evidences gathered from various sources, and was able to draw a, vivid picture of the courage and resource of the ancient navigators. One portion of his address which made a special appeal to the assembled yachtsmen was that relating to the magic calabasli, a primitive form of the modern direction-finder. Dr. Buck said that many hundreds of years ago Polynesian sailors made voyages in their canoes from Hawaii to Tahiti.' Their sailing directions were toTkeep the North star behind them on the voyage south, and this was sufficient to enable them to strike the Society Croup. However, the northward voyage presented more difficulties, as there was no fixed star to guide them. With the prevailing southeast trade winds they set a. course to the north-east. Their problem was to strike their own islands again, and their method was to work northwards until they observed the North star at the same elevation as they remembered it when viewed from Hawaii, then to sail due west until they made landfall. KEEPING THEIR COURSE.

It was for this latter part of the homeward voyage that the magic calabash was devised. Four holes were bored in the sides of the calabash at the same level and at equi-distant points. When tilled with water to the holes any leakage through it indicated that the instruwas not being held level. Before leaving Hawaii sight was taken of the North star through two opposite holes and the exact height of the star above the horizon recorded. Coming northward again the calabash was used to find the star again in this position, after which the canoe was fumed westwards and daily sights made to assure that the course was being kept. The speaker also told of the navigator Ru, who somewhere between the vears 800 and 900 set oil' from Tahiti, 'and finally landed on the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Group. On the fourth night out the canoe ran into a storm, and members of the. crew could not lind out where they were. They were reminded by Ru that he was a man who studied the stars and the sea, and instead of making a general appeal to his god to land him in sonu- miraculous way on the island of his search, asked that the clouds be cleared away, so that he could see the heavens. His prayer was answered, and bv again setting his course by the aid of "the" stars he made Aitutaki on the sixth day.

Br. Buck also dealt with various voyages from Hawaii to New Zealand and showed that the Maoris had information that enabled them to set a definite course that brought them to the ecasts of this country.