Navigating with the stars and the sea: NSYSU embarks on the Austronesian wayfinding education initiatives
2025-11-06
(Provided by Institute of Education) Professor Paichi Pat Shein of the Institute of Education at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) led the Ministry of Education–funded project "Island DNA: Navigating Austronesian Connections and Sustainable Pathways." Partnering with Associate Professor Chien-Wen Chen of National Taiwan Ocean University, the Taiwan Ocean Wayfinding Association, and international master navigators, the project promoted a sustainability education movement centered on traditional Austronesian wayfinding wisdom. Guided by the philosophy of "One Ocean, One Family," the project integrates celestial navigation, cultural transmission, and environmental awareness to cultivate seed teachers with intercultural vision and ecological sensitivity, demonstrating Taiwan's educational innovation and cultural responsibility as one of the origins of Austronesian cultures.
The term "DNA" in Island DNA stands for Diverse, Novel, and Austronesian & Adventurous, symbolizing the genetic and cultural connections between Taiwan's Indigenous peoples and Austronesian communities, as well as the enduring spirit of human–nature coexistence. Professor Shein explained that the project aims to help teachers, through experiential learning and practice, adopt a "two-eyed seeing" approach that bridges Indigenous wisdom and modern science, transforming natural navigation knowledge into meaningful educational initiatives.
To realize this vision, the team held a series of three "Ocean Wayfinding Seed Teacher Empowerment Workshops," training fourteen teachers from across Taiwan and various disciplines. The workshops combined theory, hands-on practice, and reflective dialogue, empowering teachers to incorporate Austronesian navigation knowledge into their teaching.
The first workshop, held in February at Sun Moon Lake, featured Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur from the Micronesian Voyaging Society and Palau Community College. The curriculum introduced the star compass, Austronesian voyaging traditions, and outrigger canoe practice, allowing participants to experience the principles of wayfinding and navigation without instruments. Born on Satawal Island, Sesario learned to read the stars and waves from an early age. He shared, “Voyaging connects everyone, everything together." This statement became the project's most resonant message, symbolizing navigation as not only a skill but also a bridge linking culture, nature, and humanity.
The second workshop, held in May in Keelung and Yilan, spanned National Taiwan Ocean University and Wushi Harbor. Participants practiced using the Polynesian star compass and celestial globe, conducting stargazing and night-sailing exercises along Taiwan's northeastern coast. As starlight reflected upon the sea, teachers experienced firsthand the dialogue between stars and waves, understanding how traditional knowledge and scientific reasoning illuminate each other.
The third workshop, conducted in October at National Sun Yat-sen University and Kaohsiung Harbor, was led by Master Navigator Tua Pittman from the Cook Islands. Over two days and nights, participants learned wind patterns, voyage risk assessment, and traditional navigation techniques, concluding with lesson design and reflective discussions on integrating voyaging wisdom into educational practices.
Tua Pittman emphasized that traditional navigation is not a static heritage but a living, evolving practice. "My teachers, Nainoa Thompson and Mau Piailug, each taught differently, and we all developed our own ways of voyaging from those foundations," he said. "What moves me most is seeing Taiwan develop its own method." He praised the creativity and observational skills of Taiwanese teachers, noting that this project cultivates not only navigational ability but also cultural confidence and educational innovation.
As Nainoa Thompson, the Hawaiian master navigator, stated in the Hōkūleʻa Moananuiākea voyage film: "A navigator makes five thousand decisions every day, constantly asking—Who are we? Where are we? Where are we going?" He reminds us that voyaging is a profound dialogue with nature, with oneself, and with the world. Humanity has always been part of nature, and the ocean, through the language of wind, waves, birds, and stars, teaches us that life and the environment have never been separate.
(Edited by Public Affairs Division)
(Provided by Institute of Education) Professor Paichi Pat Shein of the Institute of Education at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) led the Ministry of Education–funded project "Island DNA: Navigating Austronesian Connections and Sustainable Pathways." Partnering with Associate Professor Chien-Wen Chen of National Taiwan Ocean University, the Taiwan Ocean Wayfinding Association, and international master navigators, the project promoted a sustainability education movement centered on traditional Austronesian wayfinding wisdom. Guided by the philosophy of "One Ocean, One Family," the project integrates celestial navigation, cultural transmission, and environmental awareness to cultivate seed teachers with intercultural vision and ecological sensitivity, demonstrating Taiwan's educational innovation and cultural responsibility as one of the origins of Austronesian cultures.
The term "DNA" in Island DNA stands for Diverse, Novel, and Austronesian & Adventurous, symbolizing the genetic and cultural connections between Taiwan's Indigenous peoples and Austronesian communities, as well as the enduring spirit of human–nature coexistence. Professor Shein explained that the project aims to help teachers, through experiential learning and practice, adopt a "two-eyed seeing" approach that bridges Indigenous wisdom and modern science, transforming natural navigation knowledge into meaningful educational initiatives.
To realize this vision, the team held a series of three "Ocean Wayfinding Seed Teacher Empowerment Workshops," training fourteen teachers from across Taiwan and various disciplines. The workshops combined theory, hands-on practice, and reflective dialogue, empowering teachers to incorporate Austronesian navigation knowledge into their teaching.
The first workshop, held in February at Sun Moon Lake, featured Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur from the Micronesian Voyaging Society and Palau Community College. The curriculum introduced the star compass, Austronesian voyaging traditions, and outrigger canoe practice, allowing participants to experience the principles of wayfinding and navigation without instruments. Born on Satawal Island, Sesario learned to read the stars and waves from an early age. He shared, “Voyaging connects everyone, everything together." This statement became the project's most resonant message, symbolizing navigation as not only a skill but also a bridge linking culture, nature, and humanity.
The second workshop, held in May in Keelung and Yilan, spanned National Taiwan Ocean University and Wushi Harbor. Participants practiced using the Polynesian star compass and celestial globe, conducting stargazing and night-sailing exercises along Taiwan's northeastern coast. As starlight reflected upon the sea, teachers experienced firsthand the dialogue between stars and waves, understanding how traditional knowledge and scientific reasoning illuminate each other.
The third workshop, conducted in October at National Sun Yat-sen University and Kaohsiung Harbor, was led by Master Navigator Tua Pittman from the Cook Islands. Over two days and nights, participants learned wind patterns, voyage risk assessment, and traditional navigation techniques, concluding with lesson design and reflective discussions on integrating voyaging wisdom into educational practices.
Tua Pittman emphasized that traditional navigation is not a static heritage but a living, evolving practice. "My teachers, Nainoa Thompson and Mau Piailug, each taught differently, and we all developed our own ways of voyaging from those foundations," he said. "What moves me most is seeing Taiwan develop its own method." He praised the creativity and observational skills of Taiwanese teachers, noting that this project cultivates not only navigational ability but also cultural confidence and educational innovation.
As Nainoa Thompson, the Hawaiian master navigator, stated in the Hōkūleʻa Moananuiākea voyage film: "A navigator makes five thousand decisions every day, constantly asking—Who are we? Where are we? Where are we going?" He reminds us that voyaging is a profound dialogue with nature, with oneself, and with the world. Humanity has always been part of nature, and the ocean, through the language of wind, waves, birds, and stars, teaches us that life and the environment have never been separate.
(Edited by Public Affairs Division)
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