Wayfinding Project

Master navigators of Polynesia explored the "sea of islands".

Master navigators of Polynesia explored what Epeli Hau'ofa called the "sea of islands"—one third of the Earth’s surface—and developed astute skills of observation and deep knowledge of the ocean, sky, and cosmos.

The Wayfinding Project heeds this ancient practice for environmental, cultural, and philosophical stewardship, towards exploring and documenting Lenapean knowledge of Mannahatta, the pre-seventeenth century New York brimming with a diverse and dense geo-culture of land and waters.

In the spirit of collaboration, this project is both an exhibition and a lab activated by research and dialogue led by Lenape and Pacific scholars, culture bearers, and communities, to piece together the surviving historical fragments of land dispossession, dislocation, and diasporas. The findings will inform the creation of augmented and virtual reality experiences that will contribute to the envisioning and shaping of an Indigenous futurism.

Inspired by the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Lenape peoples, this project is initiated by John Kuo Wei Tchen and the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, and launches with this exhibition by artist Beatrice Glow creating a space to promote curiosity, research, and decolonize New York's history.