A traditional canoe, the Alingano Maisu, with 11 students on board led by two master navigators is on Saipan after starting its voyage from Palau on April 30. 

"Navigation in our region is the most important thing. That is how we survive in terms of typhoons that come and hits our island," Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur said. 

Sewralur shared deep-rooted lessons with Saipan youth after arriving from a two-month journey from Palau with Master Navigator Mario Benito and 11 traditional navigation students. 

"The main purpose of the canoe is my father asked for a floating classroom for Micronesian people," he said. 

 

The Hawaiian canoe made of fiberglass was a gift to Sesario’s father, legendary Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug, who revived traditional wayfinding. The floating classroom, which Sesario uses to teach at Palau’s Community College, was built in the early 2000s.  

His brother, Master Navigator Antonio Piailug, carves canoes on Saipan and joined the community’s welcome of the crew on Monday. "The canoe…we call it Maisu. It is our culture. It is our culture. If we know our culture, we know our identity. We do not have our culture, we lose our identity," he said.

At 20 years old, Sesario’s son Moss is also the youngest student on the voyage marking his first trip to Saipan. He told KUAM "In life, you just have to be patient, on the canoe, because it is in the open water you have to be water. If you do not see land, just be patient."

That patience was tested when it took 19 days to reach Yap from Palau. At times they met calm water and still wind. For Jada Rabauliman the trip to Saipan was 22 years in the making since she left at the age of four.

She said, "It means a lot to me. My family is all here. I have not seen them in a very long time. It is good to reconnect especially over something that has value to our culture."

The students braved the weather, took shifts to watch the boat, and fished for their food. They come from all walks of life.

"Age does not really matter on the water. It is more a willingness to help one another and communicate efficiently," she added. "It was fun..the days kind of all blurred together but we all worked different shifts so it was good to see the different faces when they are awake and active and when they are resting."

The crew will be making their way back to Palau in the next week.