Nainoa Thompson

In 1980, Nainoa Thompson became the first Native Hawaiian in six centuries to navigate a voyaging canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti without a compass or modern instruments. Nearly 50 years later, he embarks on the demanding open-ocean crossing one final time. He and a small crew of student navigators rely solely on the stars, nature's clues and lessons from the late master navigator Mau Piailug to guide them. As they sail 2,400 miles along the same sea road as their ancestors, they bear the responsibility of keeping this ancient knowledge alive. Naina sails not only to find an island but to search for something unseen. The Navigator reveals what is possible when we closely observe and deeply connect with the natural world.

From the earliest voyagers who navigated by starlight to the discovery of habitable planets by astronomers, Rock Bottom Riser examines the all-encompassing encounters of an island world at sea. As lava continues to flow from the earth’s core on the island of Hawaii—posing an imminent danger—a crisis mounts. Astronomers plan to build the world’s largest telescope on Hawaii’s most sacred and revered mountain, Mauna Kea. Based on ancient Polynesian navigation, the arrival of Christian missionaries, and the observatory’s ability to capture the origins of the universe, Rock Bottom Riser surveys the influence of settler colonialism, the search for intelligent life, and the discovery of new worlds as we peer into our own planet’s existence.

Whetū Mārama is the story of Sir Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Puhipi and his significance for Māori in rekindling their wayfinding DNA, reclaiming our place as traditional star voyages on the world map.   

Nicole Yamase begins her journey of discovery by diving to the deepest part of the ocean, an area within the Marianas Trench named "Challenger Deep" that lies beneath the territorial waters of her country. When she surfaces, she is met with a storm of media attention. Feeling the immense pressure of being the first Micronesian and Pacific Islander to go down to the Challenger Deep (and only the second woman in history), Nicole begins a deeper dive into her own identity as a Micronesian and a descendent of great navigators. This experience ultimately opens her eyes to the true resilience of Pacific Island people who–despite immense hardship brought on by external forces–continue to draw strength from the cultural practices, languages, and ancestral knowledge that anchor them to their oceanic homeland.

In 2006, cultural anthropologist Wade Davis sailed with master navigator Nainoa Thompson to learn about the art of wayfinding. Fifteen years later the two explorers contemplate the mysteries of traditional navigation and a future inspired by the language of the navigator.

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Walt Disney Animation Studios' MOANA, as aided by the Oceanic Story Trust.

Director Sam George chronicles the remarkable life and times of the late Eddie Aikau, the legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer, pioneering lifeguard and ultimately doomed crew member of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea.

From 2019 Maui Film Festival This powerful documentary celebrates the historic Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage that connected countless individuals and communities from around the globe. A voyage that also represented the fulfillment of the vision of Nainoa Thompson and his contemporaries, the passing of the mantle to the next generation of kanaka maoli who will retain the skills of their ancestors and perpetuate this tradition for generations to come so the legacy of Hokulea can last for 1,000 generations.

In 1995, a large gathering of transoceanic canoes took place on the island of Raiatea, an opportunity for the navigators of the South Pacific to renew old alliances and reunite their peoples. This film retraces the history of contemporary ancestral navigation through interviews with a number of distinguished Pacific navigators.

This one hour program reviews the 2-year, 16,000 mile journey of the Polynesian Voyaging Society's double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻa as it retraced the major migratory routes of the ancient Polynesians. The canoe and her crew visited Tonga, Sāmoa, Tahiti and New Zealand, and navigation was done without instruments. Elisa Yadao and Cliff Watson of KGMB cover the story of the nearly month long 2,800 mile sail back to Hawaii, and a look back at the voyage of rediscovery.