"We can't care for something we don't understand. This is why we explore and why we voyage. So our children can grow up and be proud of who they are. We are healing our souls by reconnecting to our ancestors."

Nainoa Thompson, Pwo (Master) Navigator

 A Rich Voyaging Past

The Polynesian sailing canoe is an important symbol in Pacific Islands cultures. Without the canoe, the ancestors of the Polynesians would not have been able to cross the ocean and find their island homes. 

By the mid 20th century, the canoes that voyaged long distances were no longer sailing and had disappeared from Earth.   The art of navigation, wayfinding, was almost lost forever in Hawai'i. But it has been making a comeback! 

Over the past few decades, Hawaiians — and other communities in the Pacific Islands — have been bringing back navigation and voyaging skills and traveling across the ocean again. They have also been rebuilding their relationship with their ocean environment.