1996-1997 Statewide Sail Activities
Activity 1: Star Compass—Directions and Destinations
Concept: Knowledge is important to success (‘Imi ‘Ike—Seek Knowledge).
Focusing Questions: What does a person need to know to navigate without instruments?
Objectives
- Learn the names of the four cardinal directions (Hikina, ‘Akau, Komohana, Hema) and the four corners of the quardrants Ko‘olau, Ho‘olua, Kona, Malanai)
- Learn the movement of celestial bodies from east to west.
- Learn celestial bodies marking the four cardinal directions: rising and setting sun; Hokupa‘a (North Star), Hanaiakamalama, Orion. (Other Important Celestial Bodies: Na Hiku (The Big Dipper); Hokule‘a (Arcturus, Hawai‘i’s Zenith Star); Makali‘ii (Pleiades); A‘a (Sirius, the brightest star in the sky)
- Learn the Geography of the Pacific, the countries found in each of eight directions from Hawai‘i.
Activity
Horizon: Form a circle with students marking the eight corners of the horizon. Students in the middle act as the canoe
Marking the Directions in the Daytime:
1. Hold the sun at approximately the direction in which it rises. "Wherever the sun rises in the Spring or Fall, is east." The student nearest this direction holds the Hikina / East Sign. Komohana West: Directly opposite. Throw ball to indicate the sun traveling overhead to the West: “Wherever the sun sets in the Spring or Fall is West.” Possible Questions: How long does the sun take to get across the sky? (11 hours in Winter; 13 hours in Summer.) Does the sun rise straight up or at an angle? Where does the sun go after it sets?
2. Marking the Mid-Directions: Ko‘olau (NE), Ho‘olua (NW), Kona (SW), Malanai (SE)—These directions have the same names as the winds that blow from these directions.
3. Marking the Directions at Night: Hokupa‘a / North Star: Stationary to the North; Hanaiakamalama/ Southern Cross: Pointing to the South. Stars, like the sun, travel from east to west. A constellation that rises due East and Sets Due West, like the sun: Orion. Other constellations the students might be familiar with: Na Hiku (The Big Dipper) rises between N and NE; sets between N and NW; Hokule‘a (Arcturus, Hawai‘i’s Zenith Star) and Makali‘i (Pleiades) rise between E and NE and set between W and NW; A‘a (Sirius, the brightest star in the sky) rises between E and SE and sets between W and SW.
Practicing the names of the directions in English and Hawaiian: Have a student stand in the middle of the circle; call out a direction and have the student throw a rubber ball to the person representing the direction. The students at the horizon can help by clapping to the person in the center when the directions they represent are called out. Call out another direction and have the student with the ball throw it to the person representing that direction, etc. Call out a rising or setting star or constellation, and have the student throw the rubber ball to the person representing the direction in which it would rise or set.
Now that we know our directions, where can we go from Hawai‘i?
Geography of the Pacific: Directions and Countries
- ‘Akau / N—Alaska—Head for Polaris
- Ko‘olau / NE—West Coast
- Hikina / E—Mexico—Head for the Rising Sun or the Rising Orion
- Malanai / SE—Easter Island and South America
- Hema / S—Tahiti and the Cook Islands—Head for the Southern Cross
- Kona / SW—Australia and New Zealand
- Komohana / W—China and Vietnam—Head for the Setting Sun or the Setting Orion
- Ho‘olua / NW—Japan and Russia
Wind directions and names—normal tradewinds and clocking winds as a cold front approaches in the northern hemisphere (Hawai‘i).
- NE (actually ENE) Trades / Ka Moa‘e
- SW winds preceding a front / Kona Wind
- N winds on the back side of a front / Ho‘olua
Given tradewinds:
- Which directions / destinations would it be most difficult to sail in?
- Which directions / destinations would it be easiest to sail in?
More Geography: Distances of various destinations from Hawai‘i: which ones are closest? farthest?
- Alaska: 2,600 miles
- West Coast: 2,400 miles
- Mexico: 3,500 miles
- Rapanui: 4,000 miles
- South America: 5,500-7,000 miles
- Tahiti: 2,500 miles
- Cook Islands: 2,600 miles
- Aotearoa: 4,300 miles
- Australia: 4,600 miles
- Guam: 4,000 miles
- Philippines: 5,000 miles
- Vietnam: 6,000 miles
- China: 5,000-6,000 miles
Math: How fast can a voyaging canoe sail? (4-8 knots [nautical miles per hour] on average, 100-200 miles per day.) How long would it take to sail from Hawai‘i to Tahiti? (25-35 days on average.)
Equipment Needed: A Ball; Cards with names of the directions, Names of celestial bodies marking the directions, Names of countries located in each direction.