Master
Navigator
Hipour of Polowat
Hipour is pictured
here holding the black mother of pearl shell (bwaiyoal) and barnacle
container for red turmeric (rokeyok) that he used in
the Pwo
ceremony
which he performed on Polowat in August 1997. Two authors
who have written major works on the subject of traditional navigation
in
Micronesia credit Hipour with providing them with invaluable assistance
and information. First, Thomas Gladwin in East is a Big Bird:
Navigation and Logic on Puluwat Atoll; and second,
David Lewis
in We, The
Navigators.
Through
my association with Jesus
Urupiy and David Lewis,
I had hoped to learn more about the Pwo ceremony which Hipour
performed.
Happily, I can report that Hipour was very generous in his answers to
my
many questions and our meeting was made even more special because he
spontaneously
remembered a chant for the hos
weather charm that he used to carry with him on long-distance voyages.
(See also photo Navigator Weather
Charm).