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Deep Sea Voyaging Canoe Hōkūalaka‘i
The main foundational element from which the navigation techniques are applied is the Hawaiian star compass. The star compass was developed by Hōkūle‘a navigator Nāinoa Thompson and is well known to students who study the art. The canoe is oriented to the rising and setting points of stars; the distant horizon is divided into a compass comprising 32 equidistant directional points of 11.25°. Each point is the midpoint of a directional house, hale, hence the 32 houses of 11.25° each divides and organizes the 360° circular horizon into equally placed houses that the stars reside in.
The four cardinal directions utilize traditional Hawaiian names:
Hikina, arriving or coming, east on the compass,
indicates the side of the compass from which the celestial bodies (sun,
stars, moon) arrive.
Komohana, entering, west on the compass, indicates
the side of the compass which the celestial bodies (sun, stars, moon) exits
or re-enters the space below the visual horizon.
‘Ākau, right, north on the compass, since the
Hawaiian star compass is oriented to the sun, north is on the observer’s
right side when watching the sun sink below the western horizon.
Hema, left, south on the compass is on the observer’s
left side when watching the sun move towards the western horizon.
The four cardinal directions divide the circular horizon into four quadrants named for the seasonal winds that cool the Hawaiian Islands:
Ko‘olau, the NE quadrant,
is the direction from which the tradewinds, the islands most constant
winds blow from and also indicates the windward facing side of the islands.
Malanai, the SE quadrant, describe a seasonal wind
that occasionally blows from this direction.
Kona, the SW quadrant, is directly opposite the Ko‘olau
side of the islands, seasonal Kona winds that are associated with bad
weather and rough seas batter the leeward coast of the islands yearly.
Ho‘olua, the NW quadrant, is named for strong cold
north winds generated by large weather systems passing far north of the
Hawaiian Islands.
Each of the quadrants contain seven directional hale, or houses, of similar name:
Lā, Sun, E by N, W by N, S by W, and W by N;
named for the sun because it appears in this house most of the year traveling
from the northern limits of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) at the height
of the Summer Solstice to the southern limits of the Tropic of Capricorn
(23.5° S) at the height of the Winter Solstice.
‘Āina, Land, ENE, ESE, WSW, and WNW; named
for the direction the canoe would turn to search for land.
Noio, The Noddy Tern, NE by E, SE by S, SW
by S, and NW by W; named after the Noddy Tern an excellent clue for navigators
when searching for land because of these birds’ relatively close range
to land and its diurnal feeding patterns of seaward flight in the mornings
and landward return later in the day.
Manu, The Bird, NE, SE, SW, and NW; the four
hale of Manu indicate the halfway directional points between the four cardinal
directions. Metaphorically, the deep sea canoe is seen as a long sweeping
sea bird searching the seas, when sailing to Tahiti from Hawai‘i, the canoe,
bird, holds a course that points its bow, head, in the direction of Manu
Malanai, its stern, tail, points Manu Ho‘olua, its left wing is pointed
in the hale of Manu Ko’olau, and its right wing in the hale of Manu Kona.
Nālani, The Heavens, NE by N, SE by S, SW By
S, and NW by N; this directional house is named in honor of its brightest
resident, Keali’iokonaikalewa (Chief of the Southern Sky), Canopus,
which rises in Nälani Malanai and sets in Nälani Kona.
Nāleo, The Voices, NNE, SSE, SSW, and NNW; refers
metaphorically to the melody of the stars that sing to the navigator-wayfinder.
Haka, Empty, N by E, S by E, S by W, and N by
W; named this way because the skies surrounding the northern and southern
celestial poles are relatively void of bright navigational stars. Samuel
Kamakau names these areas Uliuli, deep dark blue, and Lipo,
deep dark night.
The star compass acts much like a mirror, excluding the
names of the four main cardinal points; the seven remaining names reflect
each other in all four of the divisional quadrants. A star rising in one
house would travel a path that parallels the celestial equator never crossing
it and set in the same named house on the opposite side of the compass.
Example: A star rising in the house of ‘Āina Ko‘olau would set in the house
of ‘Āina Ho‘olua. Ocean swells however will always travel in a direction
that moves from one horizon passing through the canoe and exiting in a
direction that is directly opposite. Example: A swell that travels from
the compass house ‘Āina Ko‘olau would move in a direction that passes through
the canoe and exits the horizon in the compass house of ‘Āina Kona. Knowing
the rising and setting points of the many different celestial bodies (sun,
moon, stars, planets) combined with knowledge of swell patterns and its
placement within the star compass can help the navigator orient the canoe
on long journeys. Understanding the relationship between the 32 different
houses of the star compass and the canoe is the fundamental first step
in non-instrument navigation.