Historical Navigation Pulses in Background of Modernity

Image Source Hokulea Star-Advertiser Hōkūle´a Worldwide Voyage Launch

Historical navigation techniques and historical sailing culture inexplicably remain strong despite the passing of millennia. Even when human kind has witnessed the fall and extinction of culture of unprecedented value for humanity and as centuries make their relentless way through time, traditional ancient sailing culture remains pulsing in the background against all odds, surviving the eroding history, the fast moving society and its technology development. 

On April 21st International Press unanimously picked up and spread the news on the archaeological discovery made in Alaska US which unearthed artifacts linked to a historical Inter-Continental Route. The metal artifacts discovered in Rising Whale Alaska soon took over the attention of the world media and world readers who tried to imagine the journey in which these artifacts embarked from East Asia to Alaska thousands of year ago.  

The Hokulea Star reported on another journey. The Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage taken on by Polynesian voyaging canoes are sailing across the World´s ocean today using the same boat technology used by ancient Polynesian descendants. 

On April 15th Hokulea Star reported that “Hikianalia” -the support canoe that accompanied Hoku­le‘a during its first 11 months of the Malama Honua “Care for the Earth” voyage is on its way home to Hawaii. The canoe moved from from New Zealand to Australia and set to cross the Pacific to reach Hawaii US. 

Today they sail for modern causes “to join and grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world” but in the past similar boats sailed and populate most of the Pacific Islands. 

While it is true that this Era at times shows little space for ancient traditions there is a new tendency to value ancestral culture. Today´s frontiers of ocean exploration are found in the deeper trenches of the Earth, the hidden mysteries of the ocean environments and even in outer ocean space exploration as well as in the remote "inaccesible" past. Those who in historical times embarked in the construction and development of now ancient navigation culture and technology were on the “frontline” of exploration. Their ambitious, inspiration and vision can be considered even more courageous than the vision which exists today for ocean exploration. Their knowledge of the ocean, impeccable. With humble but efficient ships they were able to conquer entire oceans, spread populations throughout the Pacific Ocean and connect thousands of islands. Relying on nothing but stars and ancient maps they connected separated continents. Their gifts and culture are either being rediscovered by Archaeologists, safeguarded by museums or still sail through remote waters. 

Historical and archaeological findings reveal the impressive similarities that exists and coexist in ancient boat designs. Much like convergent evolution historical, traditional and ancestral boat designs reached similar conclusions in diverse parts of the globe. Ancient boats of Asia resemble ancient boats of America.

Archaeologists working the Rising Whale Alaska remote coasts assure that the discovery of artifacts they have unearthed is evidence of Pre-columbian trade. The team from the University of Colorado US revealed to the international press that simple bronze objects can have an incredible transcendy. 

Objects were discovered in a home of Alaska dated approximately 1 thousand years of age. The objects suggest commerce between East Asia and the Americas centuries hundreds of years before Colon´s Journey. 

Live Science reported that the Rising Whale discoveries include two bronze artifacts, one of which may have originally been used as a buckle or fastener. The other bronze artifact may have been used as a whistle. Most interestingly archaeologists found the remains of obsidian artifacts with a chemical signature that suggests the obsidian is from the Anadyr River Valley in Russia. Artifacts are now under meticulous date testing. 

Because bronze-working was not developed at the time in America Archaeologists think the artifacts would have been manufactured in China, Korea or Yakutia, and made their way to Alaska through trade routes on ancient sail boats.

The idea of Pre-Columbian commerce is not new and has been posed several times, although many to the day believe it is based on hypotheses and not supported by scientific facts.  From Vikings to South American and North America Asian links, genetic studies and sailors which have taken on the venture of crossing the oceans in ancient boats just to prove that it could have been done, the hypothesis slowly aims to become fact and history.

Sailors of the Malama Honua Worldwide which has been sailing for years around the world the “old school way” will continue traditional sailing in waters most sailors never dare to venture until 2017. They can provide testimony perhaps better than most that the traditional ways of sailing are still effective. Their journey covers 47 thousand nautical miles, 85 ports, and 26 countries. 

“As we work to protect cultural and environmental resources for our children’s future, our Pacific voyaging traditions teach us to venture beyond the horizon to connect and learn with others,” Malama Honua Ocean Men end the debate on whether traditional sailing is still transcendental and has what it takes to make it across....oceans and time.  

“We believe there was interaction, direct or indirect, with the so called great civilizations of China, Korea or Yakutia -Russia", back in Alaska US Archaeologists told the press. 

The Rising Whale findings are added to the long list of historical navigation evidence. This long list includes includes DNA markers studies that prove American Indians and other original communities are descendants of several waves of Asian settlers; new discoveries made by the University of Michigan on Viking Sailing; the well established Polynesian and Austronesian Expansion; expeditions such as the Kon-tiki; boats designs found in Lake Titicaca Bolivia, Peru and Asia and their convergent evolution design and several other scientific findings made across the globe.