Ancient Polynesian seafaring renaissance

"This was a remarkable intellectual feat. We are used to using modern devices, compasses and charts. The wayfinding techniques they used were memorized and handed down," said Howe.

But by the time Britain's Cook landed in Tahiti in the 18th century, these voyages of exploration and settlement had ceased, yet Cook said even the smaller inter-island canoes he encountered still outsailed his European ships.

The arrival of Cook and other Western explorers marked the beginning of the demise of Polynesian voyaging. Within years many Polynesian chiefs had abandoned their canoes for European ships, and adopted compasses and paper charts.

VOYAGING RENAISSANCE

By the 20th century, the ancient navigation skills that enabled the Pacific to be explored and settled were virtually lost. Only a handful of "wayfinding" navigators were still alive in the remote Caroline Islands of Micronesia and they feared their skills would die with them.

"None of the young kids wanted to learn how to navigate or go sailing, they wanted to have motorbikes, drink beer and play pool," explains Ben Finney, co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii.

In 1975, the Polynesian Voyaging Society built the first voyaging canoe in Hawaii for more than 600 years. In 1976, the 62 foot (20 meter) double-hulled "Hokule'a," using only "wayfinding" navigation, made an historic trip to Tahiti and back.

Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug was brought to Hawaii for the trip and to teach Hawaiians their lost seafaring skills.

"The aim was to not make this a white man's adventure, but to make it a cultural revival and that has succeeded," said Finney.

The Hokule'a has since sailed more than 125,000 nautical miles or five times around the world and fueled a renaissance in Polynesian voyaging.

"People sail to experience and celebrate their ancestral achievements as the greatest seafarers in the world," said Finney in a telephone interview from Hawaii.

Despite the dangers of open ocean sailing and lack of modern technology, there has been only one voyaging death.

Hawaiian big wave surfer Eddie Aikau was lost at sea in 1978 on the second Hokule'a trip, when the canoe capsized and he attempted to paddle a surfboard to a distant island to get help.

Aikau's death has helped inspire a generation of Hawaiians to recapture their lost seafaring heritage, says Finney.

Modern Polynesian voyaging canoes are now the centerpiece of cultural festivals throughout the Pacific. Thousands of young Pacific islanders compete in canoe racing in New Zealand and there are several canoe building projects underway.

"It's become not just an exercise in relearning the traditional arts, but it's become a centerpiece of Polynesian nationalism all around the Pacific," said Howe.

(Editing by Megan Goldin)