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Chargement... We, The Navigators: The Ancient Art Of Landfinding In The Pacific (HBK w/ DJ) (édition 1994)par David Lewis (Auteur), Derek Oulton (Directeur de publication)
Information sur l'oeuvreWe, the Navigators par David Lewis
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. A very important book demonstrating and recording ancient pacific traditional navigation techniques by collaboration between a modern sailor/scholar and several traditional navigators with whom he sailed long distances using only traditional techniques. This in effect refutes the skepticism of Andrew SHarp and others about the possibility of reliable navigation and regular voyages between distance pacific islands using pre-modern techniques. ( ) We, The Navigators chronicles Mr. Lewis' investigations into the native navigation techniques of the South Pacific Islanders. A seaman, not a scholar, the author investigates the techniques not via simulation and reflection, but by employing them in actual passages between islands, both in modern craft and in craft built to ancient designs. His investigations resulted in this full-blown appreciation of the native wayfinding skills and sea-going craft, and the conviction that constraints on their travels were political and social rather than technical. Apparently (I haven't taken the time to research this) the book was written in response to a common understanding in the first half of the 20th century that the islands of the South Pacific were populated by lost fisherman or traders blundering about after being blown around by storms. Lewis argues instead that populating the islands was a deliberate exploration, and, possibly because his and similar work has made the point so well, I can't doubt that assertion. The narrative flow is, let's say, less than compelling, but Lewis is earnest and good natured enough that we can excuse some tiring technical explication. David Lewis, an experienced small boat sailor, spent nine months traversing the South Seas to gather material for this study of pre-European navigation techniques. He sailed with veteran native seamen and interviewed the custodians of traditional ocean lore. His conclusion is that, while a great deal of expertise has been lost over the past century, as the chart and compass have replaced star courses and intimate knowledge of currents and swells, the remnants show that the Pacific Islanders were remarkably capable voyagers, whose legendary achievements do not defy credibility. Discussed in some depth are ancient methods of star following, dead reckoning, and detecting the proximity and direction of unseen land. A final section offers a more casual overview of shipbuilding, motivations for voyaging and the likely path of human settlement of the Pacific. While Mr. Lewis has seemingly consulted every printed source that bears even tangentially on his subject, the essential contribution is his own research. It could almost certainly not be duplicated today, for the navigators of his title were old men when he met them, and they have left no successors. This book is a fortunate gift to historians of both the South Pacific and the art of seamanship. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
The second edition of David Lewis' classic book on Pacific navigation promises to satisfy yet again scholars and seafarers alike - and all others who have marveled at the ability of island mariners to navigate hundreds of miles of open ocean without instruments. The new edition includes a discussion of theories about traditional methods of navigation developed during the past two decades, the story of the renaissance of star navigation throughout the Pacific, and material about navigation system in Indonesia, Siberia, and the Indian Ocean. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)623.89Technology Engineering and allied operations Military Engineering and Marine Engineering Naval architecture; Shipbuilding NavigationClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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