NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Polynesian navigation
From: Greg Rudzinski
Date: 2009 Jun 5, 20:53 -0700
From: Greg Rudzinski
Date: 2009 Jun 5, 20:53 -0700
Frank, A book titled LATITUDE HOOKS AND AZIMUTH RINGS discusses the Polynesian latitude hook which was made of split bamboo and twine. This is a kamal like device going back to as early as 800 AD if the book has its facts right Greg. On Jun 5, 8:25�pm,wrote: > Greg, you wrote: > > "The Polynesians did have a version of the kamal which was a straw with a loop on top. A set of straws was made by the navigator while he was on a given island for a set of star transits. When a return trip to a given island was done then the designated straw and star combination was used to arrive at the correct latitude then go east or west from there." > > Does anyone know what the historical evidence is for these? Did early European explorers see such devices in use? Also, a "straw"? That sounds awfully flimsy for such a task. > > -FER --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---