A tiny story about Yap Island’s traditional voyaging canoe called Pesau.

　Pesau (or Pethau) is Maap Island of Yap's voyaging canoe.

In late 1970's, Bernard Gaayan, One of Big Chiefs in Maap Island, started a project of reviving their traditional vayaging canoe to restore their curving and voyaging technique. He has a friend in his young age. His friend's name was "Girutoman". Gaayan and Girutoman were both apprentice of canoe building. But one day, Girutoman passed away. Girutoman's last word was "Malu (Gaayan's name in his child-days), you mustbe a master canoe builder, and preserve our seafaring tradition ".

Later, Gaayan became a master canoe builder.

But in his declining years, Maap's seafaring tradition seemed to fade away soon. Gaayan decided to resist.

Chief John Tamagyaron(or Tamagyoron) of Bechiyal village, a Gaayan's relative and a master carpenter, joined to build new voyaging canoe. Gaayan, Tamagyaron, Old canoe builder Wayan,and a Japanese painter Ouchi Seiko were the nucleus of the canoe building team.

In July of1980, they cut down a big log for the vessel. The log was bought by a stone-coin and four treasure shell. Old curver Wayan had a traditional ceremony with secret chant.

Then In february of 1983, a big canoe launched and named Pesau. Pesau is the name of a tiny channel. They named after it because that Big canoe must go through the channel to sail out to the Pacific Ocean.The length of new Voyaging Canoe Pesau was about 12meters.

In June of 1986, Pesau finally sailed out. Its destination was Ogasawara Islands. Navigator was Chief Gaayan. He was age 72 at that time, but it was his first seafaring. He used Maap's traditional navigating technique. A Japanese painter Ouchi Seiko boarded Pesau reported that "surprisingly, Gaayan navigates the canoe only by swells and stars to Ulithi atoll".

In the end, Pesau completes its full of traditional 3000km voyage from Yap to Ogasawara via Ulithi and Guam. Now he(Yap's voyaging canoe is caracterised as male) rests in Pesau Memorial Room of Sonoda University, Amagasaki near Osaka, Japan.

Old canoe curver Wayan passed away in 1984.
Bernard Gaayan passed away in April of 2002.
John Tamagyaron also passed away in October of 2004.
Ouchi Seiko passes away recently in June of 2005.

　May their spirits reunite in Heaven.

His story was written only in Japanese.

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