I was listening to one of 99% Invisable’s latested episodes about the invention of nautical watches to calculate longetude. While I found the main story interesting, what really captured my attention was the mini story at the end.
The producer interviewed a crew member who is a part of the Polynesian Voyage Society journey that is “43,000 nautical miles, 47-month circumnavigation of the Pacific.” They are doing the voyage in traditional canoes using traditional means of navigation. So no watches, no GPS.
They are doing this to preserve indigenous knowledge and encourage practices that keep our oceans healthy. Their navigation techniquies rely on a wholistic view of the earth and all its signals. The sailor talked about how seeing a land-bird can alert her to an islands presence. She spoke of the island not as a small peice of land poking above the sea, but of the animals, sky, and waves.
Things have been bleek in the world around us. U.S. and Isreali bombs are falling on an Iranian girl’s school. The powerful are evaiding justice from their connections to Epstein’s crimes. ICE is torturing people and shooting citizens in the face and back.
But learning about this journey made me smile. It makes me hopeful. Through the hatred, there are people preserving their culture and raising generations to fight for the oceans. So in a sea of bad news, get some joy delivered to your inbox.
Losing Kate 
Leave a comment