Eyes Looking to the Sky

The ancient Polynesians, using large voyaging canoes that could travel great distances, settled the area of the Pacific Islands, from Hawai'i in the north, to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the southeast, to New Zealand in the southwest. The ancient Polynesian navigators, who were people who explored the sea, did not use instruments to help them find their way from island to island or across large spaces of the Pacific Ocean. Instead, navigators used the sun and stars, ocean currents and swells, and even cloud formations and other observations, such as the sighting of sea birds, to wayfind. In this story, a young boy and his family travel on a voyaging canoe to a new home on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). As you read, take notes on the relationship between the narrator, Makani, and Kilolani, the navigator. The material is distributed in accordance with the CC BY-NC-SA. See details at: https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/