The navigation and voyaging skills of the Polynesians are remarkable. Their voyages to South Polynesia were an impressive technological achievement, unrivalled by their contemporaries. These have been described as “among the greatest acts of voyage and discovery in world history” and have been compared to “modern space travel.” The traditional accounts of migration are well preserved if interpreted correctly. Yet these accounts have been repeatedly misinter-preted and misrepresented by early European scholars. One of the functions of this work is to offer a clear corrective to outdated views which, although challenged by specialists, still retain some influence. This section will provide those unfamiliar with the benefits of oral sources with useful insight on how these can be used. It will be particularly interesting to medievalists, as it is intended to encourage a re-examination of disciplinary boundaries regarding sources. It will then provide an overview of navigational and voyaging techniques used by the Polynesians. The voyages have often been debated, and it was previously argued that the Polynesians merely “drifted” to the South, with early European scholars unable to fathom their voyaging ability. However, it is now largely accepted that the Polynesians deliberately came to South Polynesia and their navigation skills are proven and recognized. This section aims to draw together these threads and highlight the levels of Polynesian technological and navigational accomplishment.

The achievement and skill of the early Polynesian voyagers cannot be overemphasized; reaching South Polynesia was an exceptional accomplishment for the early navigators, particularly when one compares it to what was occurring in the rest of the world during this time. As Jeff Evans writes, “when most European seamen were still hugging the shoreline as they sailed from port to port along their coastlines, the Polynesians had already sailed halfway across the vast Pacific Ocean on voyages of discovery” (Evans, Polynesian Navigation, 15). Some early scholars recognized the achievement of the early Polynesian voyagers, such as Smith who wrote in 1904, “Who, after this, will deny to the Polynesians the honour that is their due as skilful and daring navigators? […] Long before our ancestors had learnt to venture out of sight of land, these bold sailors had explored the Antarctic seas, and traversed the Pacific Ocean from end to end” (Smith, Hawaiki, 130). Yet, many scholars continued to discount the achievements of the early navigators claiming that the journeys must have been accidental, or “drift voyages.”