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How Pacific navigators learned to read ocean waves

Marshallese navigators learned relationships among islands and waves, supported by stick charts such as the mattang, a teaching model. These objects were not ordinary scale maps to unfold at sea. Explore what a chart can teach and what still depends on experience in the water.

8–10 min

Questions you could explore

  • What can a diagram teach that still requires experience on the water?
  • How does a mattang represent wave relationships rather than distances on a conventional map?

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How Pacific navigators learned to read ocean waves | Speech Topic | speaking.app