Wind
In the Pacific, different winds blow during different...
What time of day did birds fly away from the islands?
The morning.
Swell patterns were mapped on what traditional mapping tool?
A stick chart.
What is the constellation that points to the South?
The Southern Cross.
What direction does the sun set in?
The West.
What did the Polynesian travelers use on their boats to travel using wind power?
Sails
What was one bird that Polynesians used for navigation?
Any Pacific bird (frigate, tern, noddy, booby, pigeon, etc)
What happens when a swell hits an island?
It bounces or reflects off of it.
A line of stars used to navigate is called what?
A star path.
Bright flashes of light that pointed navigators to land, this phenomenon has not been fully explained.
Te Lapa
If the wind was blowing 0 degrees, what direction is that?
North
Name three animals that Polynesians brought with them when travelling.
Dogs, pigs, chickens, rats.
Wave swells could be used for navigation when what other methods of navigation were not available?
Sun, moon, or stars.
What was an issue with navigation using stars?
Only worked during the night, need clear skies.
What were two things that were passed on by using oral traditions?
Wayfinding, Storytelling, Chanting, Dances, Traditional Art
What are the strong, seasonal, prevailing winds in the Southern Pacific called?
Tradewinds
How were different species of birds used to navigate?
Different species would go different distances from their home islands.
Navigators would feel the direction of waves by doing what?
Lying down on the hulls of their boats.
A mentally made tool made of different stars and star paths is referred to as what?
A star compass.
What materials were a stick chart made of? (list three)
Sticks/coconut ribs, shells/pebbles, string/coconut fiber.
What are the strong, seasonal, prevailing winds in the Northern Pacific called?
Westerlies
What is the name of an animal or plant species that was so important to the Polynesians that they brought it with them whenever they travelled? (ex. coconuts, chickens, taro)
A commensal species
What happens to a cloud when it is over a high island? (two responses)
It stays still, builds up, and changes color.
What else could be used in a star path (two answers)?
The sun and the moon.
What is one explanation for the Te Lapa event?
ocean bioluminescent or electromagnetic flashes of light.