Systems of Measurement on Woleai Atoll, Caroline Islands 
51 
PELAL (its stomach) 
CHTMAL 
(its head) 
FÂSULIGÜMAG 
PALAU 
^JEAURIPIK PULUSUK 
OCHALIFELA 
faraulep 
FAYU 
Fig. 20 
A similar means of ordering islands for the purpose of memorization is 
termed the Trigger-Fish (hwubw) Chart. Here the navigator makes analogy 
to the schematic form of the trigger-fish whereby particular islands or navi 
gational references are associated with five parts of this fish, viz. its head, 
dorsal fin, tail, belly, and backbone. On Woleai, the fish is assumed to be 
facing east with its dorsal to the south. Fig. 20 illustrates three of the five 
krigger-Fish Charts known to my informants. 
The next step in navigational training centers on the two interrelated 
concepts of Lines (yopunpur and hatag 30 ) which aid in fixing the position of 
a canoe while en route between islands and out of sight of land. This concep 
30 The meaning of hatag is basically the same here as it was in the case oi hata- 
gufiis. Tag is the root word meaning "rising”, “coming up , approaching , while ha 
is a causitive prefix. Sarfert (1911: 136) uses the linguistically related term etak for 
this same concept.