The Republic of the Marshall Islands inwards the Pacific Ocean was settled past times the Micronesians to a greater extent than than 3 G years ago. These early on settlers had to brand frequent journeys betwixt to a greater extent than than 1 ,100 islands spread out over 29 coral atolls. They lacked modern navigation equipment such equally compasses together with sextants , but possessed an incredibly detailed noesis of the sea , the waves , the swells together with the currents which they utilized to develop a elementary yet sophisticated organisation of navigation made upward of sticks together with shells.
These thence called “stick charts” consist of sparse strips of kokosnoot frond together with midribs or pandanus rootage saltation together inwards direct or curved lines using kokosnoot fiber to exercise a frame similar structure. At diverse places inwards the frame , modest sea shells were tied together past times creating junctions , using 2 or to a greater extent than sticks. The shells together with junctions stand upward for the location of islands , whereas the sticks stand upward for currents together with swells inwards the sea. In substance , stick charts are unsmooth maps of the ocean.
Photo credit: Walter Meayers Edwards/National Geographic
The curved sticks demo where swells are deflected past times an island. The brusque , direct strips dot currents close islands. The longer strips may dot the administration inwards which for certain islands are to endure flora , together with the modest cowry shells stand upward for the islands themselves.
Unlike modern maps , stick charts are non literal representation of the sea , but to a greater extent than an abstract instance of the ways that body of body of water swells interact amongst land. Indeed , private charts varied thence much inwards classify together with interpretation that many times a stick nautical chart could solely endure read past times the someone who made it. The charts were too non used for navigation inwards the agency nosotros utilisation maps or charts today. Seldom did sailors comport the charts amongst them when they made their journeys , or fifty-fifty if they did , they in all probability did non consult stick charts on their long journeys. Instead , navigators memorized the nautical chart earlier the journeying was made together with and then used their senses together with retentivity to guide them on voyages.
The Marshallese had an astounding noesis of the body of body of water swells. They would crouch downwards or prevarication prone inwards the canoe to experience how the canoe was beingness pitched together with rolled past times underlying swells. By only feeling how their canoe ringlet , they were able to position together with distinguish betwixt iv dissimilar body of body of water swells , which they called rilib , kaelib , bungdockerik together with bundockeing.
The rilib is the strongest of the iv body of body of water swells. It is generated past times the northeast merchandise winds together with is introduce during the entire year. The kaelib dandy is weaker than the rilib together with could solely endure detected past times knowledgeable persons , but it is too introduce twelvemonth round. The bungdockerik is introduce twelvemonth circular equally good together with arises inwards the southwest. This dandy is ofttimes equally rigid equally the rilib inwards the southern islands. The bundockeing dandy is the weakest of the iv swells , together with is mainly felt inwards the northern islands.
Not everybody knew how to brand or read the charts. It was a closely guarded undercover that solely a pick out few rulers knew , together with the noesis was solely passed on from manlike someone nurture to son. When making journeys , xv or to a greater extent than canoes would canvas together inwards a squadron , accompanied past times a leader airplane pilot skilled inwards utilisation of the charts.
This unique piloting organisation was solely known to the exterior subsequently 1862 when a resident missionary published a description. The utilisation of stick charts came to halt subsequently World War 2. The Polynesians nevertheless brand them but solely to sell them equally souvenir to tourists.
“The stick charts are a pregnant contribution to the history of cartography because they stand upward for a organisation of mapping body of body of water swells , which was never earlier accomplished ,” writes Wikipedia. “They too utilisation dissimilar materials from those mutual inwards other parts of the world. They are an indication that ancient maps may convey looked real dissimilar , together with encoded dissimilar features from the public , than the maps nosotros utilisation today.”
This type of nautical chart is known equally a mattang , together with is specifically made for the role of preparation people selected to endure navigators. Such charts pull full general data almost dandy movements around i or to a greater extent than modest islands. Photo credit: Trustees of the British Museum/Khan Academy
Modern re-create of a stick nautical chart , acquired inwards 1991 inwards Majuro. Photo credit: marshall.csu.edu.au
Modern re-create of a stick nautical chart , acquired inwards 1991 inwards Majuro. Photo credit: marshall.csu.edu.au
Photo credit: thenonist.com
Stick nautical chart amongst location of diverse isle mapped. Photo credit: thenonist.com
Photo credit: unknown/reddit
Photo credit: www.nla.gov.au
An unknown stick nautical chart recovered from Marshall Islands. Photo credit: Museum of Fine Arts , Boston
A stick nautical chart displayed inwards the UK’s Science Museum. It’s 69 centimeters foursquare together with made of the midribs of palm fronds. Photo credit: Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
Sources: Wikipedia / Smithsonian