3 ms·
The Morris West [1] book, The Navigator, is an interesting read in this connection. A mixed group of people, headed by a charismatic and larger-than-life Prof.,
by vram22 10y ago
The Morris West [1] book, The Navigator, is an interesting read in this connection. A mixed group of people, headed by a charismatic and larger-than-life Prof., Gunnar Thorkild, of mixed ancestry (white + Polynesian), set out in a ship from Hawaii, using a secret map, to find a lost Polynesian island known to the ancient navigators - guided by an aged Polynesian relative (grandfather?) of Thorkild. They end up finding it, but during a storm, which wrecks their ship on the outer reef of the island. The rest of the book is about how they manage their lives there, their trials and tribulations (interestingly, the latter more due to human nature than nature :). (It's sort of an adult Robinson Crusoe type story with some differences.) Some sub-plots within the overall story. A pretty good read, IMO, and carries some lessons too, about leadership, human strengths and frailty, etc., including about facing death with dignity.
- vram22 10y agoP.S. I think the stuff mentioned in the book (The Navigator), about ancient Polynesian techniques of navigating by the stars, the sun, the wind, the waves and the sea currents, might be true (though West only describes them briefly via the voice of the navigator (Thorkild's relative, Kaloni Kienga, after whom the book is named). Why I think so, is because I remember reading an article in National Geographic, long ago, in which they wrote about this sort of stuff. They visited many places in the Pacific and South Seas, interviewed and discussed all this stuff with people (traditional Polynesian navigators) who had these skills, as did their ancestors, and wrote an article or series in NatGeo about it. I remember it being very interesting reading. Edited for grammar and re-wording.