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By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter
The non-motorized canoe Alingano Maisu sailed more than 10,000km from Palau to Pingtung County’s Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣) and is to sail into the Port of Kaohsiung tomorrow.
This is the second time that Maisu, a canoe guided solely by celestial navigation, landed in Taiwan, following a visit in May last year.
Hunter School founder Sakinu Ahronglong and member Cudjuy Isumalji, indigenous people of Paiwan, were among the 13 crew members aboard Maisu.
Photo courtesy of Paichi Shein
They were led by captain and celestial navigator Sesario Sewralur.
A crew member said the canoe encountered a storm that lasted nearly 10 days shortly after they departed from Palau.
The double-hulled canoe was robust enough to survive the storm and crew members from different countries developed a sense of togetherness, he said.
A Paiwan name-giving rite would be held on March 21 in Taitung County to name the canoe “Pioneer” on behalf of the indigenous people of Taiwan, as it is the first non-motorized, celestially navigated canoe that arrived in the nation.
Sesario would also be granted the title “Balis,” which means demigod in the Paiwan language, to honor his excellent skills in celestial navigation.
ZaShare founder Ozzie Su (蘇仰志) said the voyage marked a homecoming journey for Austronesian peoples from across the Pacific Ocean, returning to their “mother island” of Taiwan.
Research showed that Taiwan was the source of the Austronesian expansion that occurred thousands of years ago, and that indigenous people in Taiwan were ancestors of Austronesian islanders who have been distributed across the ocean, he said.
“Taiwan is actually the source of Austronesian cultures, although much of the world still deems it a small island next to China,” Su said.
ZaShare, an educational platform founded by Su, is raising funds to support essential supplies for the crew members, and educational programs and cultural events related to the voyage, he said.
For every NT$500 donated, the Taiwanese flag would be flown on the canoe for 1 nautical mile of its journey, Su said, adding that donors could also get a digital starlight navigator certificate.
The entire voyage would be about 6,200 nautical miles, and destinations include Taiwan, Japan’s Okinawa, Guam, Saipan, Satawal Island and Yap Island.
The canoe is to paddle into the Port of Kaohsiung at 11am tomorrow and would stay in Taiwan until the end of this month.
People can view the canoe as it enters the port from several sites, including Cijin Lighthouse (旗津燈塔), Shaochuantou Square (哨船頭廣場), KW2 Warehouse Square (棧貳庫廣場), Love Pier (真愛碼頭) and Whale Promenade (鯨魚堤岸).
People could also take part in a welcome ceremony organized by Paichi Shein (謝百淇), a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s Institute of Education, which would be held at the Whale Promenade at 1pm tomorrow.
Educational events related to Austronesian fishing and hunting traditions would be held aboard the canoe for 150 students from six primary and secondary schools nationwide from Monday to Wednesday next week, Shein said.
