Polynesian navigators used no instruments, steering by stars, swells, clouds, and bird flight across thousands of miles of open Pacific. The December solstice, when the sun reaches its southern extreme, was a calibration point for the star compass. Master navigators (palu in Micronesia, kahu in Hawaii) performed rituals to renew their relationship with the stars. The tradition nearly died but was revived by the Hokule’a voyages beginning in 1976.