Our ancestors voyaged the oceans without compass and instruments. Within the central Pacific and it's outer boundaries nearly all the Islands have the name "tokelau" pertaining to a direction usually "north". As a child I was perplexed by this Issue. Is it just a coincidence that the name "tokelau" just so happens to be named in virtually all the Pacific Islands by chance and had no bearing or correlation with "Tokelau" the Island?

 

According to Akerblom varying names are used for direction on the wind compass but notes that two names are virtually used in every part of Polynesia, the wind names tokelau and Tonga. Although it was likely that these two names referred to the two quadrants of north and south and to establish knowledge of wind direction or prevailing winds, Akerblom states that “ it may be doubted whether the description we have of the Polynesian wind compass give a complete picture of their original form and divisions. The records were made when the original art of navigation had already begun to sink into oblivion among the Polynesians.”

 

The wind compass comprises of known points on the horizon to point to the direction of major prevailing winds and other winds which assisted in determining orientation. In constructing a system which follows the path of the stars at night or when it is cloudy and overcast, the Polynesians produced what is the wind compass.

 

Apart from Tokelau and Tonga, fakatiu and palapu are also used as wind bearings. From this pattern it would be supportive to argue that there is a connection between the Island names Tonga and Tokelau as bearings for navigation. There is a pattern for uniformity in the naming of the star compass but dependent on the location of the Island. According to Kepelino’s tradition of Hawaii Kiopaa (Polaris or Noholoa in Tokelauan) meaning immovable, is the main guiding star of all the stars. Hawai’i Nui named the direction towards this star “ko’olau or north. This information verifies a true course due north when based on the fixed position of the star Polaris.

 

It may well mean that the Island Tokelau has no association to the name tokelau or north. But it is my argument however that in terms of getting a fixed position or bearing for north, compensation would have to be made considering that Polaris is not visible to any islands south of the equator. So in part of creating a wind compass to make up for any inadequacies with the star compass, the island Tokelau would be used instead as a reference, with Islands such as Uvea having Tokelau (the Island) as a bearing for north. As the lunar calendar was of important significance in understanding time and seasons it correlates with the need to understand the wind. Gill confirms the great importance of the wind compass for the purpose of fishing especially for long voyages.

 

I shall elaborate more later with how this relates to the early migration in the Pacific and why it was they who circumnavigated the vast Pacific and used Tokelau and Tonga as bearings for the North South quadrant in the Pacific.