From Sea to Space

by Ben R. Finney

Why was Hokule's, a reconstruction of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe, built, and why have a group of Hawaiians and other Polynesians dedicated themselves to sailing it around Polynesia, including making a 12,000 nautical mile voyage from Hawaii to New Zealand and return? What do Tahitians and other French Polynesians think about France's nuclear testing program, an effort that has totally transformed their lives, giving them a per capita income greater than that of New Zealand while exposing them to the dangers of deadly radiation and rapid urbanization? What lies in store for humanity if the current effort to learn how to live and work in space eventually leads to human expansion throughout the solar system and beyond? In from Sea to Space anthropologist Ben Finney addresses these questions in three essays based on his MacMillan Brown Memorial Lectures delivered at Massey "University in September 1989. Linking these essays is the author's fascination for the saga of how our species has spread over the globe and now stands on the threshold of space, as well as his own firsthand experience. Dr. Finney initiated the Hokule's project and has published widely in scientific journals on the significance of the canoe's many long voyages to our understanding Polynesian prehistory. In addition to sailing to Tahition a canoe, the author has lived there for several years studying how the Tahitians have tried to cope with their encounter with the outside world. Most recently he has spent a year at a NASA research center with scientists researching human adaptation to space and how to detect the presence of any extraterrestrial civilizations that might be in our galaxy.

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jeff Greason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of three essays by a pivotal figure in both Polynesian archaeology and in seeing the meaning and implications of that for the larger story of human settlement in both the past and in the space-oriented future. All worth reading. The first essay, describing the experiences with reconstructing past Polynesian voyaging techniques to support the thesis of "intentional" voyaging, was particularly interesting. The second, describing the rather sad story of how Tahitian culture has fared under French colonial rule and the rise of Tahiti as a testing ground for nuclear weapons, was compelling as well. The third is his classic, "One Species or a Million", discussing how past experience suggests future space settlement and the implications thereof. Absolutely a must-read for space enthusiasts, but it is the same essay collected in "Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience" which has other material likely to interest those literate about space settlement, so if picking up just one, I'd suggest the larger volume.