From stars to satellites: The rise of modern Pacific voyaging

For thousands of years, we voyaged the ocean between islands, using the stars to find the way as the birds warned us of storms ahead.This is how we travelled across the Pacific before planes, before satellites, before people arrived on their own ships with compasses and maps.As modern technologies arrived some of the old ways are drifting away, but expert navigators continue to share their knowledge so the next generation can master the seas.Like master sailor Sanokoli John, who is reviving knowledge of the salau, the traditional canoes used in Papua New Guinea, and Vaimasanu'u Zita Sefo-Martel, the first ever female skipper of a Samoan long boat — a fautasi.So as voyaging gathers pace once again across the Pacific, what are we keeping from the old days… and what is changing?Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia. This edition of Culture Compass was a repeat of the program broadcast on 12th September 2023