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The "Tungaru
Expedition" will depart in 2007 as a sailing voyage from California to the equatorial atolls
located in and adjacent to the Republic of Kiribati in the Central Pacific Ocean.
The word "Tungaru" is the traditional name of the Gilbert Islands
chain in western region of Kiribati where Tarawa, the capitol, is located. As the expedition is destined
for "Tungaru" the vessel of the Atoll Institute will
also bear the same name, and hence the name "Tungaru
Expedition." The initial objective is to
begin filming a documentary series about the atolls of
Kiribati and their inhabitants, flora and
fauna, and the effects upon them of sea level rise due to global climate change.
Landings are intended on all of the 33 atolls
located in Kiribati, only some of which are inhabited, and the rest are uninhabited. The atolls comprising
Kiribati are grouped into the Line Islands chain astride
the equator about 1,200 miles south of Hawaii, the Phoenix Islands
chain which is roughly 1,000 miles to its west, and the Gilbert Islands chain
which is also roughly 1,000 to its west (see the Central Pacific Historical Chart
in the left margin).
Also along the course of the expedition and in the adjacent international and other territorial waters, a number of deep seabed samples
of manganese nodules will be taken for general
oceanographic research purposes.
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The "Baurua Outrigger Expedition" will commence on the conclusion of the
"Tungaru Expedition" when the Tungaru finally anchors in Tarawa lagoon. The
Atoll Institute will then commission the construction of a traditional
"Baurua" outrigger canoe of about 50 to 60 feet in length (see
the photograph of a scale model),
which will largely be fabricated with traditional
materials and methods.
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Construction of the Baurua outrigger canoe
will take a year or more, and will itself be the subject
of a documentary film series focusing on the traditional
methods employed, and the selection and training of the
Kiribatese crew and all important Kiribatese
navigator.
Once the Baurua has been built, the navigator and
crew trained, and the sailing supplies collected, it
will be time to patiently wait for arrival of the
sporadic and tempestuous
westerly winds that are associated with El Nino.
Finally, in haste the Baurua will cast off from the beach fronting the
National Assembly building in the capitol to head
eastward to the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands,
northward to Hawaii, and then eastward again for a
landing somewhere in North America.
Traditional navigation methods, which include celestial, wind,
wave and bird observations, will be employed in the
course of the expedition with a view to documenting the
methods by which the atolls of Micronesia and the high
volcanic islands of Polynesia were discovered and
settled, and to impress upon the public the humanitarian
value of preserving the culture and history of atoll
islanders, whose homelands are now being flooded and
will soon be uninhabitable due to sea level rise.
Never has there been an expedition to equal the
Baurua Outrigger Expedition plans, and yet never has there been such a need to get
out the message that without international goodwill and assistance the atolls and the wellbeing, culture, history and
uniqueness of the atoll people will be lost to humanity.
Your encouragement and support of these two expeditions is welcomed.
robgrosz@atollinstitute.org |
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