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Canoe voyagers return to Satawal and Polowat
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Posted on May 26 2000
It was a sad farewell for those who were left behind but the 18 canoe voyagers were more than happy to sail back to Satawal and Polowat. “I feel good I’m leaving because I miss home,” says Dr. Mau Piaulug.
Two Saipanese, Ben M. Sablan and Myron Sablan, joined the trip back to Satawal and Polowat.
The 18 voyagers will sail for five days to Satawal.
Mau, 68, is one of the few Carolinian pioneers who has restored the Satawal-Saipan voyage route. He hopes to continue the traditional canoe voyage as long as he can. “My home is the ocean, I cannot stay long on land, I have to keep on sailing,” he says.
Carolinians from all over Micronesia have been regularly carrying out the voyage in efforts to revitalize the ethnic group’s culture, as well as to make sure that this long held tradition is passed on to the next generation. Mau says he is happy that his son Cesario, 20, has joined him in his trip.
Mau remembers his first sailing experience when his grandfather brought him to the ocean at the age of three. At the age of 18, he took his first canoe voyage.
“I was a little bit scared when I first sailed,” he admits. One time, during his journey, his canoe capsized due to strong winds. “I just waited for the strong wind to pass and then got the canoe back on track,” he says.
Traditional voyages have been made in the past, especially during the last decade, with landings mostly made in Chalan Kanoa or Garapan where the Carolinian Utt is located.
This year, the landing was made in Tanapag, even more historic for the Carolinians who are mostly settled in the northern coastal village. (LFR)
