A Demonstration of Kilo Hōkū-Implementing Hawaiian Star Navigation Methods in Virtual Reality

PubDate: April 2020

Teams: University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Writers: Kari Noe；Patrick Karjala；Anna Sikkink；Dean Lodes

PDF: A Demonstration of Kilo Hōkū-Implementing Hawaiian Star Navigation Methods in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Kilo Hoku is a virtual reality simulation of sailing on the Hokule’a, a Polynesian double-hulled sailing canoe built in Hawai’i in 1974, which completed its worldwide voyage in 2017. By developing the simulation, we aimed to observe how a virtual reality environment could aid in the cultural preservation of the star navigation portion of Hawaiian wayfinding techniques, and to help to educate future generations of non-instrument navigators. The reaction to the simulation from current practicing Modern Hawaiian wayfinders was positive, and indicates that further study is warranted in testing the efficacy of the simulation for teaching Hawaiian wayfinding to future navigators. This paper will describe the implementation and features of the simulation.