Currents in the Pacific

What is known as evidenced by contemporary methods is the overall view of the region does indicate that this place is comparatively small and is located within the “navel” of the surrounding ocean currents and at the center of the “eye” of the prevailing wind patterns or vice versa.  A similar situation with the winds and current exists at the much larger island chains and other two points of the Polynesian triangle across the Pacific Ocean with Hawaii in the Northwest and New Zealand in the Southwest.

Polynesian legends are a form of history which provided a layering of interpretations with specific meanings dependent upon the audience. Ancient Polynesians had their owned skilled craftsmen and guilds with their own set of “trade secrets”  In an environment where knowledge was passed from generation to generation by “word of mouth,” not only did retold stories relate the obvious but would often have additional underlying meanings like genealogy, trade agreements/routes, star charts, and socio-politics.  Without a deeper understanding of the culture, the ability of the Polynesians for mathematics and geospatial recognition was overlooked. Modern scientific discoveries including plant and human genetics have proven the people of the Pacific and Americas did interact with meaningful purpose over vast distances.  They did understand where they were, where they were going, and what they wanted to do.