Myth, Experiment, and the Reinvention of Polynesian Voyaging

Abstract

Experimental canoe voyages between Hawai'i, Tahiti, and Aotearoa (New Zealand) indicate that proponents of the “mythical” view of voyaging traditions cannot casually dismiss their historical basis because they believe it impossible for canoes navigated without instruments to have been intentionally sailed over such long distances. Furthermore, the key role of Hawaiians in this reinvention of Polynesian voyaging, and in particular their efforts to extend the sailing and navigational trials far beyond the original experimental plan, point toward a more Polynesian interpretation of voyaging traditions than one developed solely through Western analytical approaches.