David Lewis (2) (1917–2002)

We, The Navigators chronicles Mr. Lewis' investigations into the native navigation techniques of the South Pacific Islanders. A seaman, not a scholar, the author investigates the techniques not via simulation and reflection, but by employing them in actual passages between islands, both in modern craft and in craft built to ancient designs.

His investigations resulted in this full-blown appreciation of the native wayfinding skills and sea-going craft, and the conviction that constraints on their travels were political and social rather than technical.

Apparently (I haven't taken the time to research this) the book was written in response to a common understanding in the first half of the 20th century that the islands of the South Pacific were populated by lost fisherman or traders blundering about after being blown around by storms. Lewis argues instead that populating the islands was a deliberate exploration, and, possibly because his and similar work has made the point so well, I can't doubt that assertion.

The narrative flow is, let's say, less than compelling, but Lewis is earnest and good natured enough that we can excuse some tiring technical explication.… (mere)

David Lewis, an experienced small boat sailor, spent nine months traversing the South Seas to gather material for this study of pre-European navigation techniques. He sailed with veteran native seamen and interviewed the custodians of traditional ocean lore. His conclusion is that, while a great deal of expertise has been lost over the past century, as the chart and compass have replaced star courses and intimate knowledge of currents and swells, the remnants show that the Pacific Islanders were remarkably capable voyagers, whose legendary achievements do not defy credibility.

Discussed in some depth are ancient methods of star following, dead reckoning, and detecting the proximity and direction of unseen land. A final section offers a more casual overview of shipbuilding, motivations for voyaging and the likely path of human settlement of the Pacific.

While Mr. Lewis has seemingly consulted every printed source that bears even tangentially on his subject, the essential contribution is his own research. It could almost certainly not be duplicated today, for the navigators of his title were old men when he met them, and they have left no successors. This book is a fortunate gift to historians of both the South Pacific and the art of seamanship.… (mere)