Voyage Schedule‍ ‍

Total Distance: ~6,200 nautical miles

Total voyage duration: ~100–104 days Total sailing days: ~54–58 days 

Total land / program days: ~44–48 days dedicated to cultural exchange, education programs, and community engagement across Taiwan, Japan, and Micronesia.”

The Micronesian Voyaging Society, Palau Community College, and the crew of the traditional voyaging canoe Alingano Maisu, led by Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur, proudly announce the 2026 Pacific Voyage of Alingano Maisu. Departing from Palau and returning home ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum to be hosted in Palau, the voyage will span more than 6,200 nautical miles, traveling through Taiwan, Okinawa, Guam, Saipan, Satawal, and Yap.

Alingano Maisu holds deep cultural significance. The canoe was built as a gift to Mau Piailug of Satawal, presented from Hawaiʻi in recognition of his leadership in the revival of traditional ocean navigation across the Pacific. Today, the canoe continues that legacy as a living classroom—carrying intergenerational knowledge forward while reconnecting ancestral ocean pathways linking Micronesia, Taiwan, Okinawa, and beyond.

The Alingano Maisu Traditional Voyaging Program represents a living resurgence of Indigenous knowledge—one that moves outward across the ocean and inward toward home. Through intentional partnerships with universities, Indigenous institutions, and cultural leaders, the voyage advances immersive education and cultural exchange, connecting students, researchers, and global learners directly with Micronesian knowledge systems through hands-on learning aboard the canoe and at Palau Community College.

Key exchanges during the voyage include academic collaboration in Taiwan with National Sun Yat-sen University, Indigenous leadership gatherings hosted by the Paiwan community and led by cherished author and cultural leader Sakinu Yalonglong, and youth-centered exchange through the Hunter School. Research and education partnerships are further strengthened through collaboration with National Dong Hwa University, led by Professor Jolan Hsieh, connecting Indigenous scholarship, education, and international exchange. In Okinawa, the voyage deepens regional relationships through engagement with the University of the Ryukyus, fostering dialogue among Micronesian and Ryukyuan Indigenous knowledge holders, educators, and youth.

The voyage is being documented through international storytelling collaborations, including work by Christine Lin, a National Geographic Explorer, and the Taipei American School Film Department, whose students are capturing the journey as part of an educational and cultural media initiative.

Alingano Maisu carries the meaning of the fallen breadfruit—knowledge returned to the ground and made accessible to all who seek it. This principle defines the voyage’s purpose: to gather, share, and replant Indigenous knowledge across generations, institutions, and ocean regions. The heart of this journey will be to sustain the program and position Palau as a regional hub for experiential learning, traditional navigation training, and Indigenous-led education that extends well beyond the voyage itself.

As Palau prepares to host the Pacific Islands Forum, the voyage carries heightened global significance—coinciding with the arrival of leaders from more than 18 Pacific nations and international partners. The voyage leading into the Forum is supported through the collaboration and funding of partner nations and embassies, including Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, and Palau, reflecting shared regional investment in Indigenous leadership, cultural diplomacy, and ocean stewardship.

In this moment, a small island nation and its voyaging traditions offer a living example to the world: that dialogue, leadership, and solutions for the future can be grounded in Indigenous knowledge, reciprocity, and care for the ocean.