Re: East Isles navigation

From: Nils Weinander <nilsw_at_ibm.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 08:49:15 +0100


Simon Bray:
>
> I like the idea that they use the same system as the Polynesians. The
> Navigators of the Polynesians are highly respected and powerful people,
> especially thos of Tonga. They are so familiar with the ocean that they can
> navigate using only their normal senses. They watch the ocean very carefully,
> not only with their eyes. Ears perceive sounds which tell him about the way
> the waves and the foam move and hit the ship, scent tells them of any changes
> in the smell of the sea, while the feet are used to tell how the ocean swells.
> Routes are memorised through stories, reflecting the nature of the sea scape:
> The presence and species of sea birds, the shapes and colours of clouds, the
> shape and frequency of waves, the colour, smell, taste and 'thickness' of the
> sea. This skill was so pronounced that an experienced navigator could quickly
> use his knowledge to fix his location, even after a storm.

Mind if I lift this fairly literally?

> Ocean? I also like the idea of this skill because it has a better myhical
> basis than compasses etc.

Agreed.

> The stories would perhaps be recorded in a special
> way, a song, a dance, inscribed upon cowrie shells, told from father to son.

Yes, nice thought. Of course, different islands have different traditions (even though these methods obviously spread around). The Dance of sailing to Mokato, the Dance of sailing to Ambovombe etc is evocative.

For specifics, which method do the Haragalans use?

> There are also some similarities to this sense of Glorantha Space as that used
> by the Praxians in Greg's articles on that topic.

I'll look that up, where is it published?



Nils Weinander | Everything is dust in the wind nilsw_at_ibm.net | http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689/

End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #333


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