Mau Piailug

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Mau Piailug (born 1932) is a Micronesian navigator, one of the best-known living practitioners of the ancient art of navigation without the aid of instruments.

Born on the island of Satawal in the Caroline Islands, Mau received his knowledge of navigation from an early age, taught first by his grandfather. When he was around 18, through training of a master navigator, he went through sacred ceremony called Pwo. Through this he became "Paliuw" by a master navigator, through the Weriyeng School of Navigation. Weriyeng School of Navigation, which began on Pollap Island a long, long time ago, is only one of two schools of navigation left in Micronesia.

He is best known for his work with the Hawaii-based Polynesian Voyaging Society, navigating the double-hulled canoe Hokule‘a from Hawaii to Tahiti on its maiden voyage in 1976, and training and mentoring Native Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson, who would later become a master navigator in his own right.

Steve Thomas describes studying navigation under Mau Piailug in his book "The last navigator."

[edit] References

Stephen D. Thomas; The last navigator : a young man, an ancient mariner, the secrets of the sea (International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 1997 ISBN 0-07-064574-4)