Ancient Seagoing Drama Comes to Life Through Lens of Local Filmmaker

A viewing of Wayfinders: A Pacific Odyssey, by local award-winning filmmaker Gail Evenari, will be hosted by The Visionary Edge, at The Depot in Half Moon Bay, Saturday, November 19. Ms. Evenari, a resident of Half Moon Bay, traces the extraordinary maritime accomplishments of ancient Polynesian seafarers, and documents the adventures of present-day Polynesians attempting the life-or-death voyages of their ancestors. “It is a dramatic and moving tale of indigenous people reclaiming their ancient knowledge and wisdom,” says Reba Vanderpool, co-founder of The Visionary Edge. “This remarkable film shows how preparing for a voyage is itself a spiritual journey. Ms. Evenari will talk about her motivation and experience of making this extraordinary film.”

Centuries before European explorers, Polynesians had sailed to every island in the far corners of the Pacific. Wayfinders: A Pacific Odyssey sweeps viewers into a seafaring adventure with a community of Pacific Islanders as they build traditional sailing canoes, learn how to follow the stars across the ocean, and embark on a 2,000-mile voyage in the wake of their ancestors. As with many indigenous peoples, the cultural identity of Polynesians has become obscured by Western belief systems, history, and economics. Evenari focuses on the revival of “wayfinding.” the art of navigating a canoe over long distances using only natural signs: the sun, the moon, the stars and the ocean swells.

Through on-board interviews, training sessions, archival images and breathtaking sailing footage, Wayfinders reveals how the legacy of wayfinding connects modern Polynesians to their past and helps them face the challenges of the future. The islanders embark on a wayfinding journey using oral traditions, archaeological discoveries, and experimental voyages. Along the way, these techniques help them resolve controversial issues in their history and reclaim their cultural heritage as skilled oceanic explorers.

The origins of the Polynesians have fascinated explorers and historians for hundreds of years. Wayfinders addresses the issue from a Polynesian point of view and challenges some commonly accepted theories, including Thor Heyerdahl’s claim that the first Polynesians drifted from South America.

“To the Pacific Islanders, wayfinding is more than sailing from one island to another,” says Vanderpool. “In the film, we see Nainoa Thompson, the first Hawaiian in centuries to master the ancient skills and spiritual dimensions of celestial navigation.”

By teaching wayfinding to other Pacific Islanders, Thompson has begun the process of recovering the spirit and practice of ancestral seafaring traditions. Wayfinders concludes as student navigators sail six canoes from the Marquesas Islands to Hawaii—a 2,000-mile voyage that tests the courage and skills of these seafarers who face the very real possibility of their own deaths.

For one night only, Wayfinders: A Pacific Odyssey will be shown at The Depot (by the Johnson House) on Higgins Purisima Road, Half Moon Bay. Doors open 7:00pm film at 7:30pm, Saturday, November 19. Tickets $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Call 650-560-0200.

Located in Half Moon Bay, The Visionary Edge is a transformative arts and media venture committed to inspiring millions — through the creativity and power of films, music, and story — to create a wiser, more sustainable and compassionate world.

Press contact:
Reba Vanderpool
The Visionary Edge
Phone: 650-560-0200
Email: [email protected]