As a crew member on a leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage through the Pacific, Ka’iu Kimura used nothing but the celestial sphere and the atmospheric and oceanic conditions to guide her — navigation methods that Indigenous groups throughout the region have used for thousands of years.
Kimura, a native of the island of Hawai’i, is the executive director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in the city of Hilo. In Hawai’i, several light ordinances protect the night sky to preserve local traditions and enable astronomical research.
Kimura feels that navigation practices anchor her to her ancestral home. “I think navigation today stands as a major contributor to the resurgence, the reconnection, the revitalization of our Hawai’ian identity,” Kimura says. “We all know we can jump on a plane and fly anywhere around the world, but it’s the fact that we choose to bring back this traditional knowledge. It's about holding on to our identity as a people of Hawai’i and of the Pacific.”
