About the Polynesian Voyaging Society

PVS was founded in 1973 to research how Polynesian seafarers discovered and settled nearly every inhabitable island in the Pacific Ocean before European explorers arrived in the 16th century. Some scholars have argued that the Polynesian drifted to these islands by accident; PVS set out to show that a voyaging canoe of Polynesian design could be navigated without instruments over the long, open ocean migration routes of Polynesia.

Since 1975, PVS has built and launched two replicas of ancient canoes--Hokule‘a and Hawai‘iloa--and completed six voyages to the South Pacific to retrace migration routes and recover traditional canoe-building and wayfinding (non-instrument navigation) arts. The voyages sponsored by the Polynesian Voyaging Society have provided a wealth of information for scientists, anthropologists and archaeologists about traditional Polynesian migrations, documenting one of the greatest achievement of humanity--the exploration and settlement of islands in an area of over 10 million square miles during a period of over 1,000 years.

At the same time, as Hokule‘a and Hawai‘iloa traveled throughout Polynesia, they inspired among Polynesians an increased awareness and native pride in their seafaring heritage. They also sparked a revival of canoe building and sailing, arts that had not been practiced in over a hundred years. Hokule`a, the first modern replica of a voyaging canoe to make the voyage from Hawai'i to Tahiti and back, became a symbol of the richness of Polynesian culture and the seafaring heritage which links together all of the peoples of the Pacific.

This website is a service of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. All writings and graphics are copyrighted by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, except those that are in the public domain or those used with the permission of the copyright owners. Acknowledgements: PVS Banner by Olomana Marketing; paintings by Herb Kawainui Kane; electronic graphics by Tim Chun; drawings by Melanie Lessett and Helene Iverson; photos by Monte Costa, Anne Kapulani Landgraf, Doug Peebles, Moana Doi, and various crew members of Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa.