Wayfinders: Waves, Winds and Stars

Across the ocean, where the sky meets the sea, most people only saw the horizon. But, the wayfinder could see and feel far more.

Wayfinders opens by telling the story of the spread of people out of Southeast Asia throughout the Pacific over thousands of years. This live-action fulldome program puts you on the deck of the voyaging canoe Hokule’a as you explore traditional Polynesian navigation. Learn how to read the stars and interpret the winds and waves to navigate without modern instruments.

The film tells the story of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the recovery of the nearly lost art and science of traditional, non-instrument navigation in Hawaii.

Produced by Bishop Museum and 1001 Stories in collaboration with the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
      Hawaiian version by Hokulani Imaginarium—Joseph Ciotti (director); Keoki Faria (translator)

Narrated by Millicent Cummings (English)
       W. Kalaekea Akioka (Hawaiian)

Runtime: 25 min

Audience: suitable for grades 4 and up

Foreign Language: available in Hawaiian ('Olelo Hawai'i) and Japanese

Educational Resources
Bishop Museum Voyaging in the Pacific
Polynesian Navigation and Starlines
Polynesian Double-Hulled Voyaging Canoe