Voyate of Rediscovery: A Cultural Odyssey through Polynesia by Ben Rudolph Finney (1933-2017) - 1994

xviii+401 pages with maps, illustrations, figures, drawings and index. Royal octavo (9 1/4" x 6") bound in original publisher's quarter black cloth with gilt lettering to spine over blue boards, in original pictorial jacket. First edition. Voyage of Rediscovery is a vivid, immensely readable account of this remarkable journey through the Pacific, including tales of a curiosity attack by sperm whales and the crew's welcome to Aotearoa by Maori tribesmen, who dubbed them their sixth tribe. It describes how Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson guided the canoe over thousands of miles of open ocean without compass, sextant, charts, or any other navigational aids. In so doing, it documents the experimental voyaging approach, developed by Ben Finney, which has both transformed our ideas about Polynesian migration and voyaging and been embraced by present-day Polynesians as a way to experience and celebrate their rich ancestral heritage as premier seafarers. By sailing in the wake of their ancestors, the Hawaiians and other Polynesians who captained, navigated, and crewed Hokule'a made the journey described here a cultural as well as a scientific odyssey of exploration. Condition: Fine in like jacket.