Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur (1969–2026) was a renowned Pacific wayfinder and captain who dedicated his life to preserving the ancient art of non-instrument navigation. He was born on Satawal Island in the Outer Ilsands of Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia.
His father was the legendary master navigator Mau Piailug. The ancient art of navigating vast ocean distances using only natural signs like the stars, wind, waves, and bird flights, without modern compasses or maps, is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation in the families of then great Micronesian Master Navigators.
Sewralur taught traditional navigation at Palau Community College for almost 20 years and was Captain of the traditional double-hulled voyaging canoe Alingano Maisu, which regularly sailed across deep-sea routes between Pacific island communities and served as a live-aboard teaching and training facility for young mariners.
The family legacy and tradition is carried forward by his son, Landon, whom Sewralur certified as a navigator in late 2024.
Traditional Navigation is taught as a course at the University of Guam, the College of Micronesia on Yap and the Palau Community College.
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