Part 1 - We, the Polynesian voyagers of Taumako, Solomon Islands, share our history, motivations, and skills, through story-telling, canoe building, and wayfinding. We recall our ancestors, who made the greatest of human migrations. We use only the designs, materials, and methods of our culture-hero, Lata, who built the first voyaging canoe (vaka) and navigated to distant islands. When Europeans took over we became isolated. 

To regain sustainability, Chief Kaveia, our most experienced navigator, led us in planting gardens, feeding workers, making rope from plants, weaving and sewing sails, protecting our trees, adzing parts for voyaging canoes, and lashing them together. 

Kaveia also enlisted an anthropologist to help us make this film. After he died in 2009, we built a vaka. Chief Holani became our new Lata, and prepared us for open ocean voyaging. From our living story of Lata we learn that everyone is welcome in Lata’s crew, and that we can avoid making key mistakes as we connect with long-lost family and new friends on faraway shores.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Dr. Marianne "Mimi" George is an anthropologist, sailor, and writer specialized in voyaging cultures. Before the Vaka Taumako Project, she documented voyaging traditions of islanders in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Siberian Yupik Eskimos on the Alaskan and USSR sides of the Bering Straits. 

The communties in every place Mimi has visited or worked have requested assistance in educational video documentation of their ancient cultural voyaging knowledge and practices. The Paramount Chief of Taumako requested help to create films in English, and other languages, so that outsiders would learn to value and support ancient voyaging practices.