Reawakened: Traditional navigators of Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa

Book Author Jeff Evans
Rights Available World excl. NZ and North America

In this important book, ten navigators — the late Hec Busby, Piripi Evans and Jacko Thatcher from Aotearoa New Zealand; Peia Patai and Tua Pittman from the Cook Islands; and Kālepa Baybayan, Shorty Bertelmann, Nainoa Thompson, `Onohi Paishon and Bruce Blankenfeld from Hawai`i — share the challenges and triumphs of traditional wayfinding based on the deep knowledge of legendary navigator Mau Piailug. They also discuss the significance of receiving the title of Pwo (master navigator) from Piailug, and the responsibilities that come with that position. Their stories are intertwined with the renaissance of knowledge and traditions around open-ocean voyaging that are inspiring communities across the Pacific.

About the Author
Jeff Evans is a non-fiction writer based in Auckland, New Zealand. He has written extensively about both waka and voyaging, including the 2015 biography of Pwo navigator Sir Heke-nuku-mai-ngā-iwi (Hec) Busby, Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Busby: Not Here By Chance. Other publications include Ngā Waka o Neherā: The First Voyaging Canoes; The Discovery of Aotearoa (later reissued as Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand); Waka Taua: The Māori War Canoe; and Māori Weapons in Pre-European New Zealand.