non-instrument navigation
Explore the history, teachings, and trainings surrounding the ancient Polynesian technique for navigating without modern instruments. Learn how to find your path using the stars, nature, and your surroundings.
The Star Compass
The Hawaiian Star Compass is based on the ingenious, ancestral methodology introduced to Hawai‘i by Master Navigator Mau Piailug of Micronesia. It is a mental construct that allows navigators to organize the rising and setting of stars, directions of waves and a bird’s flight into houses. It sets direction, it assists in memory, it enables thousands of decisions on direction every day and it helps navigators find an island.
Reproductions of the Hawaiian Star Compass require express permission from C. Nainoa Thompson.
Ko Hawaiʻi ʻIke Kūpuna
Formatted for and best printed on 22”x28” poster.
The Ko Hawaiʻi ʻIke Kūpuna poster is a single reference consolidating the various environmental, meteorological, and natural signs studied and applied in non-instrument navigation in Hawaiʻi. It includes knowledge preserved and promulgated from our ancestors and is augmented with contemporary information.
This poster is for educational purposes only. Usage should be credited to the Polynesian Voyaging Society; it is not to be used or reproduced for profit. It was first published by the Polynesian Voyaging Society in 1997 and updated in 2024.
Formatted for and best printed on 22”x28” poster.
Explore More
Learn more about navigation with these additional resources.
VIDEO: Sailing Around The World With No Tech
TRAINING: Building Their Star Compass
