The name ETAK

More often than not, I get the question,  "What does ETAK mean?" or, "Where does the name ETAK come from?"

That was the question I posed to the the builder when I met him.  His answer:  "Get a copy of We, The Navigators, by David Lewis and you will find the answer there.  It is not K-A-T-E spelled backwards!" he winked and said.

Wikipedia says of Lewis: "... he was a  sailor, adventurer, doctor, and Polynesian scholar. He is best known for his studies on the traditional systems of navigation used by the Pacific Islanders. His studies, published in the book We, The Navigators, made these navigational methods known to a wide audience and helped to inspire a revival of traditional voyaging methods in the South Pacific."


I found a copy and read that ETAK was a central tenet of the navigational system used by these early voyagers. Lewis' obituary is a telling story of a unique explorer and worth reading .  Go here to read.

However, you will need to read his book mentioned above for a clearer understanding of the term ETAK.

Another good source for reading about ETAK is from Emmy Award-winning television host Stephen Thomas (This Old House). His book, The Last Navigator, details much of his sailing experiences that lead to his learning to navigate in the ancient method of the Islanders of the Pacific as he studied among them.  Click here to read this informative introduction to Thomas's sailing experiences in the South Pacific.

Still, however, in this link the term ETAK does not appear.  You will need to read a copy of one of these books (or better yet, both) to get a good handle on the concept of ETAK.

This is obviously not a good explanation.  If I could provide a succinct one, I would!  But I have elected to keep the name the same despite the confusion I have in trying to share its meaning with those who ask.