Role of the Wayfinders

Ua fili e le tai se agavaa - the sea tests the quality of a sailor.
Samoan saying

In Pacific communities, wayfinders are highly respected – not only for their practical skills but also for their wisdom. A wayfinder has to know huge amounts of information about the environment. Having access to navigational knowledge is an honour, and a navigator has a responsibility to use, protect, and pass on that knowledge in a way that best serves the community. He also has to live by the highest values — like modesty, respect, and patience. He is seen as the father of his crew and must protect them from danger. He is considered a wise leader, both on and off the canoe.

When wayfinders and their crews are away, the community sings to keep them safe and to be close to them.

The Rat Wayfinder (Vanuatu, Melanesia)

In the islands of Vanuatu, a group of seabirds decided to build a canoe. They chose a breadfruit tree and asked the spirits for permission to cut it down. But when the tree was on the ground, the birds couldn’t move it. So, instead they chose a giant taro and hollowed it with their beaks. There – a beautiful canoe! But they still needed a wayfinder. A rat came along and said “Stop everything. I will be wayfinder of this canoe!” The birds thought him unfair – but when the rat starting biting at the canoe, they agreed.

The rat was a bad wayfinder and argued with the birds. “You stupid birds, you don’t even have arms! I’m better without a crew!” He tried to bite one of them. At this, the kingfisher got angry and stuck his beak into the canoe. Water rushed in, and the canoe began to sink. The birds flew into the sky, but the rat fell into the sea. The birds didn’t care. He deserved to drown!

The rat couldn’t swim. An octopus came by, and he asked for a ride. The rat’s claws hurt her skin, but she took him anyway. When they got to land, the rat began to laugh. “Thanks for the ride. Now get your ugly face back in the water where it belongs!” he said. The octopus was so angry that she picked up a stick and hit the rat as hard as she could. One end stuck in his back. The rat threw ashes on the octopus. And that is why the rat now has a long tail and the octopus has black marks on her head.