We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific

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Summary: Polynesian navigation over great distances w/o instruments
Review: "We, The Navigators" is one of the first books written about polynesian navigation over great distances without benefit of any instruments except the senses of the navigators. The polynesians steered by the stars, sun, swell patterns, wind, birds, clouds, phosphorescence in the sea. "The Navigators" began training as soon as they were weened and had to memorize thousands of factors to enable then to reach islands that their ancestors had been traveling to for generations. This book is a great source for both scholars and sailors. However; be warned that if you don't have some knowledge of sailing and navigation you may not fully appreciate "We, the Navigators"

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Summary: The Old Way of Navigation Preserved!
Review: A triumph! Lewis's "hands-on" investigation of ancient
sailing tchniques in the Pacific now includes a description of a
renaissance in celestial navigation in Polynesia. The old way, the way
of passing on knowledge of sighting stars and zenith stars, is once
again being passed on from one generation to another.


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Summary: Exellent on Pacific Voyaging
Review: David Lewis has zig-zaged the Pacific in modern yachts and traditional canoes. His broad experience and long resarch, using his own and many schoolars data, has made this a good analysis and documentation of the extremly impressing and interesting phenomenon of ancient and present voyaging in the Pacific. Others, specially anthropologists fieldworking in the Central Carolines of Micronesia, had written about the presently used Micronesian voyaging system, others less throughly about the forgotten polynesian,but Lewis mangage to give a synthesis of the technologies and some of the social aspects of traditional voyaging in the Pacific

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Summary: ...
Review: Incredible book - how did people get to Hawaii, Tonga, and other pacific islands that are thousands of miles apart? Did they get lost? Did they get blown there by storms? Nooooooo - they could navigate over open ocean for thousands of miles by using art passed down from generation to generation. This book tells you how.

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: Incredible book - how did people get to Hawaii, Tonga, and other pacific islands that are thousands of miles apart? Did they get lost? Did they get blown there by storms? Nooooooo - they could navigate over open ocean for thousands of miles by using art passed down from generation to generation. This book tells you how.

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Summary: Oceanic navigation classic
Review: The most complete study of early navigation I have come across. The author does a fantastic job of comparing the different styles of landfinding as used by the Pacific islanders. Lewis brings the knowledge and experience of an accomplished western sailor and navigator to his studies, and in doing so is able compare and contrast ancient and modern techniques. A scholarly study of primitive navigation, the book is not always an easy read, however for the reader looking for a complete comparison this is the volume to have.

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Summary: An academic book by a knowledgable navigator
Review: This book is written by an academic. I don't necessarily mean this in a negative sense. The author has done a very thorough research on the topic and presented his findings. The effect is a book that can be called a comprehensive treatment as far as it can be done given that the practictioners are disappearing fast.
The downside is that it can send you to sleep as the author systematically compares how the navigational techniques are practiced in the various island groups.

The strength of the book is not only its thoroughness but also the fact that the author is a skilled sailor who has gone on trips using these techniques. This makes the material so much more authentic, because the reader can relate how effective these skills are and yet how much practice they require.

The author provides commentary on many practices and relates them to our modern day knowledge. An example was their ability to recognize the impact of sub surface currents, something that is today a rather specialist piece of knowledge not available to the everyday sailor.