- Satawal
Satawal is a solitary
coral island located at coord|7.3579|N|147.0373|E| in theCaroline Islands in theFederated States of Micronesia , the easternmost island in theYap island group. It is 2 km long northeast-southwest, and up to 800 m wide. The area is 1.3 km². The native language isSatawalese , a Trukic language closely related toWoleaian , and the entire population of the island numbers approximately 500.As there are no anchorages for large boats, Satawal is seldom visited by outsiders. The Satawalese primarily subsist on fishing and some agriculture (
coconut s,breadfruit ,taro ). They build small thatch houses for sleeping and use the trunks of breadfruit trees for boat-building. Cultural forms primarily revolve around dance and story-telling, and an alcoholic beverage known as "tuba" is brewed from fermented coconut milk.Satawal is located in the state of
Yap , but the people of Satawal are more closely related, culturally and linguistically, to those ofChuuk .The island is best known for its preservation of traditional navigational techniques without the use of instruments, based on indigenous astronomical and maritime concepts. Despite its small population, Satawal has continued to produce ocean-going canoes and expert navigators versed in these traditions. The best-known of the Satawal master navigators ("paliuw"),
Mau Piailug , served as mentor and teacher to the founding members of thePolynesian Voyaging Society . The daily life of Satawal is documented in the Steve Thomas book "The Last Navigator", which also treats Mau Piailug's traditional navigation system in some depth.On
March 18 ,2007 , Piailug presided over the firstPwo ceremony for navigators on Satawal in 56 years. At the event five native Hawaiians and eleven others were inducted into Pwo as master navigators. The Polynesian Voyaging Society presented Piailug a canoe, theAlingano Maisu , as a gift for his key role in reviving traditionalwayfinding navigation inHawaii .References
* Rock, Tim. "The Atoll People: Life With The Star Navigators." "Pacific Magazine",
November 1 2004 . Accessed from http://www.pacificmagazine.net/pm112004/pmdefault.php?urlarticleid=0018 onFebruary 26 2007 .External links
* [http://www.terhuneorchards.com/our_history_articles.html A Return to Paradise] account of 1967 visit to Satawal
* [http://digicoll.manoa.hawaii.edu/satawal/index.php?c=1 Steve Thomas Traditional Micronesian Navigation Collection] - photographic materials related primarily to traditional navigation on the island of Satawal Island, Yap
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