the world as the Polynesian Triangle. The triangle consists of New Zealand at the southwest, Easter Island at the southeast, and Hawai’i at the northern apex, with the Marquesas, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga in the middle. Fiji, though technically part of Melanesia, is included due to a strong Polynesian influence.

All of the island cultures share similar traditions, language, arts and religion. There is no definitive answer to the origin of these fascinating people, though everyone seems to offer an opinion. Many believe the Polynesian cultures descended from a single proto-culture established in the South Pacific by migrant Malayo-Polynesian people, while others point to the Easter Islands. Everyone seems to agree that these ingenious explorers were ultra-sophisticated sailors, with a highly complex navigational system based on the observation of the stars, ocean swells and flight patterns of birds.

Their primary vessel was a 50 to 60 foot long canoe, consisting of two hulls, connected by lashed crossbeams. A precursor to the modern catamaran, the sails were made of matting drove. Long steering paddles enabled the mariners to keep it sailing on course. The canoes could accommodate roughly two dozen people, food supplies, livestock, and planting materials, essential for the long expeditions and the eventual founding of new island colonies. Like athletes they would go into vigorous training prior to voyages, even conditioning their bodies to deal with less food and water.

THE POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER
In the mid-1800s, the village of Laie on the North Shore of Oahu became a place of refuge for villagers who had broken