ABSTRACT
The atoll dwellers of Micronesia are ocean voyagers, unlike the inhabitants of Micronesia's few high islands. In the atolls, knowledge of how to build seaworthy sailing canoes and how to navigate from tiny place to tiny place over fairly long distances of open sea has been actively maintained for centuries as vital to successful life. Somewhat different systems of navigation are used in each of Micronesia's three atoll regions: Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands), the Marshall Islands, and the Western Caroline Islands (fig. 1).
