KOROR, Palau (Press Release) — A 6,200-nautical-mile traditional voyaging journey is underway across the Pacific, placing ancestral navigation, youth, and ocean science at the center of a growing global climate dialogue.
Micronesian Voyaging Society President Shallum Etpison explained, “We see this as more than a voyage but a reflection of ocean culture — a living system of knowledge, kinship, and responsibility shaped by generations who crossed sea lanes to sustain their communities. In Micronesia, the ocean is not a boundary; it connects the whole society.”
The canoe Alingano Maisu, under the leadership of Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur, departed Palau in mid-February on a four-month journey to Taiwan, Okinawa, Guam, Saipan, Satawal, and Yap. The canoe will return home ahead of the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum.
Alingano Maisu was built as a gift from Hawaiʻi to master navigator Pius “Mau” Piailug, who shared and taught traditional wayfinding to Hawaiians at a time when the knowledge was all but lost. That legacy continues today through his son Sesario Sewralur and a growing generation of navigators committed to carrying this knowledge forward.
Practical training and regional collaboration
This expedition is designed as a working platform for training, research, and exchange. Master navigators sail alongside apprentice seafarers from Micronesia, Hawaiʻi, Japan, and Taiwan, transferring knowledge through daily practice at sea — observation, star paths, weather reading, sail handling, and decision-making in real conditions.
In partnership with Palau Community College and supported by the Micronesian Voyaging Society at home the canoe conducts structured outdoor instruction and curriculum development. Youth camps, student exchanges, and onboard mentorship are paired with marine science activities including data collection and environmental observation throughout the voyage route.
Building on these hands-on learning activities at sea and on land, the voyage also serves as a platform for community engagement across the journey. At each port, the crew will engage with schools, universities, and community leaders through forums and workshops focused on ocean stewardship, cultural continuity, and applied learning. These exchanges are intended to deepen collaboration among educational institutions and traditional leaders while helping preserve and pass on cultural knowledge, navigation practices, and living heritage.
Youth rising
Among the crew is Sewralur’s son, Landon Moss Sewralur (22), a Paiurourou navigator who has completed advanced traditional celestial navigation training — a rigorous discipline often compared to mastering complex modern navigational systems.
He is joined by Mykah Uowolo (19) of Hawaiʻi and Yap; Elilai Sugiyama (32), a champion paddler from Palau; Metukr Columbus (22) of Palau; and Zea Nauta (29) of Guam, serving as educational coordinator for the voyage.
Along the route, the crew will be joined by cultural leaders and representatives, including members of Taiwan’s Paiwan community such as Chih-Chiang Tai (Sakinu) and Shih-Hao Tu (“Cudjoy”). Sakinu is the author of the acclaimed novel Hunter School, a coming-of-age story centered on identity, elders, and ancestral knowledge. Widely read in Taiwan and discussed in Asian studies programs at institutions including Harvard University, the book reflects a broader regional movement to reconnect youth with land, language, and heritage.
The intergenerational crew reflects a deliberate strategy: to pass navigational knowledge forward while strengthening international dialogue around shared ocean responsibility — not as nostalgia, but as continuity within a living ocean culture.
More than a physical crossing of the Pacific, this is a voyage of cultural renewal. It challenges and inspires younger generations to learn, respect, and carry forward the ancient knowledge of navigation. It reaffirms a shared Austronesian heritage and reminds the world that the ocean does not divide Pacific peoples — it connects them.
About MVS
The Micronesian Voyaging Society is a community-based organization in Palau dedicated to preserving and advancing the ancestral seafaring knowledge of Micronesia. Inspired by the legacy of master navigator Pius “Mau” Piailug, MVS upholds the centuries-old tradition of navigating the Pacific Ocean without modern instruments — relying solely on stars, ocean swells, wind, clouds, and bird flight. In fall 2026, the crew will begin classes at the college, training, and dry dock preparations
