00:00 The Polynesian navigators were early humanity's greatest achievement, exploring the Pacific Ocean and leaving a legacy in the people who live on remote islands.

01:47 The Polynesians were an exception to the rule of staying close to land while navigating the seas, as they were able to sail into the unknown of the deep ocean and settle in remote islands in the Pacific.

03:23 The ancient Polynesians settled remote islands in the Pacific by using their skills as skilled navigators and developing a mental map based on the stars to determine their direction.

04:56 Polynesian navigators developed a complex celestial navigation system and passed down maps of islands from generation to generation, but their method was not as precise as GPS and they also used bird species to determine when they were close to land.

06:30 Polynesians used frigate birds, wave patterns, cloud formations, and double hulled canoes to navigate, and while evidence suggests they reached some sub-antarctic islands and possibly the coast of South America, much of their navigation knowledge was lost after European arrival.

07:59 The Polynesian Voyaging Society has revived the ancient art of Polynesian navigation, sailing double hulled canoes using traditional techniques to various Polynesian islands, and evidence suggests that the discovery of these islands may have been accidental or the result of people setting out without knowing if they would find anything.

09:39 The legacy of the Polynesian navigators' accomplishment is seen in the lives of the people living across the islands of the Pacific.