How did Hawaiians use the stars to navigate?
But before light pollution was a big issue, native Hawaiians relied on the stars in the sky to tell stories and navigate the oceans. They used the star line locations to determine which direction their canoe was heading towards. During the day, navigators used the sun as a guide to determine east and west.
What stars did the Polynesians use to navigate?
Traditional Polynesian navigators position themselves mainly by the stars, using what’s called a star compass. The ability to read the night sky is a great skill. A star compass is used to help memorise the rising and setting points of the brightest and most distinctive stars and planets to set direction.
What star is Hokule A?
Hokule’a is known as Hawai’i’s Zenith Star. About midway between Hokule’a and Hanaiakamalama, the Cross, is Hikianalia (Spica) and directly below it is in the box of Me’e (Corvus). Below the horizon, having completely set, is the star line of Ke Ka o Makali’i.
What does hokulea mean in Hawaiian?
Star of Gladness
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaiian Word of the Day is Hokule’a. Literally meaning “Star of Gladness,” Hokule’a is the name of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s inaugural voyaging canoe which made its first journey to Tahiti navigating by solely by stars in 1976.
Why does Moana put her hand in the water?
Wayfinding is the art of sailing a boat using only your senses and worldly knowledge. Moana specifically uses star navigation in the film, using her hands she measures the angles between the star and the horizon to determine her latitude.
What is the Hawaiian name for Star?
Makalii is the Hawaiian name for the cluster of stars commonly known as Pleiades, which is located in the constellation taurus.
How is the star compass used in Hawaiian navigation?
On Wayfinding. Nainoa Thompson. The star compass is the basic mental construct for navigation. We have Hawaiian names for the houses of the stars – the place where they come out of the ocean and go back into the ocean. If you can identify the stars as they rise and set, and if you have memorized where they rise and set, you can find your direction.
What are the names of the Hawaiian stars?
Stars of the Triangle: Keoe, Keoea, Keho’oea are traditional Hawaiian names: “Keoe is a Hawaiian name which Alexander believes was applied to Vega (Alpha Lyrae); but Kupahu describes it as a group of four stars forming a diamond. Hence it probably stood for the entire constellation of Lyra” (Makemson 220).
When to see the Stars in the Hawaiian Sky?
During Ho’oilo (the winter season from November to April), these stars are visible for most of the night in the Hawaiian sky; during Kau (the summer season from May to October), these stars are in the sky overhead mostly during the daylight hours. The five stars of Ke Ka o Makali‘i are the following:
What does Nainoa Thompson mean by the star compass?
Nainoa Thompson. The star compass is the basic mental construct for navigation. We have Hawaiian names for the houses of the stars – the place where they come out of the ocean and go back into the ocean.