September 23, 2025 • 13 mins
Hafa adai and welcome to Taotao Tåsi 🌅 People of the Ocean 👋🤙
This is the conclusion, Part 8 On Da Island 🇬🇺🇲🇵.
If you're new here, start at Part 1 On Da Beach 🏝️
The Taotao Tåsi series takes us on a voyage through the Pacific Ocean with Palu Larry Raigetal, a traditional master navigator of the sea. What happens when a whisper you've heard your entire life suddenly speaks with clarity? The journey home isn't always a physical one—sometimes it's a reconnection with the culture that has been calling you all along.
--
Support Palu Larry's nonprofit organization Waa'gey
Read more about Micronesian cultures at Guampedia.com
Check out the Sea Grant program that supports Palu Larry teaches at the University of Guahån (Guam)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jay Castro (00:05):
For as long as I can remember, I heard a whisper
speaking to me.
I could never understand it.
It was only a few words, but Iheard it everywhere.
I heard it in the bird song.
I heard it in the wind.
(00:25):
I heard it when I rubbedElder's hard-working, rough and
beautiful hands with lotion.
I want to understand you, I'dscream with my fist clenched and
my head dunked in the ocean.
Then one day the whisper saidCome back and let me melt
(00:50):
through the Guam seal, stitcheson your hoodie and warm the
mahålang in your heart.
Then, like I'd been snagged bya hook and a gentle call, the
whisper pulled me to theMarianas, vibrating my temples
like a drag of a Newport menthol.
I flowed with the current tothe deep West Pacific.
I threw a Hafa Adai toTamatoa along the way, we kept
(01:15):
it shiny.
He gave me a Hima, a giant clam, perfect for my Sanahi.
And then we metyour cool island breeze and your
warm lagoons, your red flowertrees like honey to the bees.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
(01:36):
I feel so lucky that you pickedme and a sense of responsibility
.
You pulled me home to show meI'm not alone.
And so now it's up to me toEmbrace the Che'lu that the
others don't see, to live theculture with my family, to honor
myself familia history Inherita soulful wayfinding To navigate
(01:57):
the ocean of mind and will Toopen a sea lane, native skill.
The voyage was a battle, yes,uphill.
Salt pierced my soul refill.
SeaSi Yu'us ma'åse to our
navigating crew, and big propsto the Wa'a canoe, for a safe
passage across the deep blue.
Yeah, thank you.
(02:18):
And a shout out is due to theUniversity of Guam, guampedia
and Island Wisdom, Saina ma'åsefrom the Che'lu in the Bay for
bringing me home and showing methe way.
Showing me the way, yeah,showing me the way.
Saina ma'åse for showing me theway.
You brought me home and showedme the way.
Saina ma'åse from the Che'lu inthe Bay.
(02:45):
The chants, the stars, the waves, the rhythm Everywhere we go we
bring the island with them.
Your cool island breeze andyour warm lagoons, your red
flower trees like honey to thebees.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
(03:08):
I always knew I found my place,my soul renewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
The voyage back to the Marianashelped me to understand that
I'm not alone.
It showed me that my culturehas been looking for me just as
(03:29):
much as I've been looking for myculture.
It's no longer a whisper now,because the island speaks to me,
it pulls me, the culturemarinates within me and I
(03:57):
welcome the embrace of my people.
I heard the whisper from theocean in the canoe and I
(04:18):
responded what would you do ifit spoke to you?
Hafa adai, my name is JayCastro.
I'm your host.
This episode is titled On theIsland and it's the conclusion
of Tao Tao Tåsi, a seriesdedicated to focusing on the
incredible art of Micronesiannavigation and seafaring with
Palu Larry RaigetalGreetings and hello to my
(04:42):
siblings and elders.
I appreciate you all for all that you have done for
the culture.
I am Dr Melissa Taitano.
I'm a professor at theUniversity of Guam and an
(05:04):
ordained Weriyang Pwo Navigatorthrough the estate of Haboilor
in Polowat, maitaupo andRapiniwug Casper Mark.
I work in close collaborationwith Professor Larry Raigetal to
develop and promote thetraditional navigation program
at the University of Guam aspart of the Center of Island
Wisdom, a project founded andmade possible by our current
(05:32):
Madam President, Dr AnitaBorja-Enriquez, and all the
members of the Island WisdomCouncil, namely Dr Gina Rojas,
Dr Monique Storie Dr MikeClement, and Dr Lisa Natividad.
Traditional navigation has animportant role in connecting our
island communities throughoutMicronesia, as well as with our
brothers and sisters livingabroad, in Hawaii and the
(05:53):
continental United States ofAmerica.
Through the UOG MicronesianTraditional Navigation
Certificate Program, we teachand promote our sustainable
cultural values of fa'taota,inadahi yan inagofli'e, or tirow
, loosely translated as respect,compassion and community, which
(06:16):
are also the institutionalvalues of the University of Guam
.
We teach basic knowledge ofcanoe house building, lashing,
weaving, canoe carving andcelestial navigation through
hands-on skills development andinstruction, storytelling and
chant that reveal knowledge ofour shared past not captured
(06:39):
necessarily in our documentaryor written heritage.
Larry Raigetal (06:44):
So, on a daily basis for the class, we offer
three courses throughout theyear One in canoe house building
, so actual physical structurebuilding like a local hut.
The other course is in canoebuilding, so constructing and
learning about trees and how tocarve out a canoe from it and
(07:05):
the application of thattechnology, such as sailing it.
And then the final course is intraditional celestial
navigation, so we take ourstudents out on the canoe and
apply what they've learned innavigation.
And apply what they've learnedin navigation such as okay, what
are the stars that we use
Dr. Melissa Taitano (07:37):
We teach Micronesian traditional
navigation as a component ofcultural preservation but also
cultural on.
into the future, partneringwith disciplines, people and
organizations on 3D mapping,land tenureship, apprenticeship
and fisheries projects, towardssustainability, which is
particularly important in lightof the current climate crisis
and its global effect, which ispronounced in our lower-lying
(07:58):
Micronesian islands and atollsin our lower-lying Micronesian
islands and atolls.
Larry Raigetal (08:03):
You know we can be sure that whatever science
and math is being taught nowfrom a Western perspective
through these institutions ofhigher learning, we have to
appreciate that even ourancestors, through their
technologies whether it's canoebuilding or celestial navigation
, wayfinding, all of that wereapplied math and science too.
(08:25):
So my feeling about thetraditional seafaring courses
that I'm teaching give them theopportunity to understand that
our ways of knowing and learning, as passed down by generation
to the other, as passed down bygeneration to the other, is
(08:46):
equally important as what we'rebeing taught in the setting of a
university classroom orotherwise.
Dr. Melissa Taitano (08:52):
Our aim is to impart these skills to our
students and provide access toelements of our shared heritage
of traditional navigation, andalso to the greater
understanding of ourconnectedness to the ocean, the
land and the sky.
Larry Raigetal (09:07):
It's important also for us to realize and
understand that long beforeinstitutions of higher learning
here within the Pacific come toexistence, our classrooms were
those of the canoe houses.
Our classrooms did not haveconfinement into corners of
walls within a concrete building.
Our classrooms was really fromup in the mountains, down to the
(09:32):
seas and up in the skies.
The boundaries and settings forus to learn was from the land
and from the ocean and from allother elements and plans one has
to offer.
So in that sense to me that'simportant, because we live on
(09:52):
islands surrounded by ocean,with greeneries.
Then it's imperative on us toalso know it to know the
surrounding environment, tocherish and use those resources
the best we know how.
Dr. Melissa Taitano (10:28):
The university of guam traditional
navigation certificate programtoday, was made possible because
of relationship forged overdecades.
And truly in the spirit ofcooperation and love for the
region, between pwoTo those who heard the whispers
of the ocean and the canoe andhad the courage to respond.
respond To these people, I wouldlike to say.
.
.
Larry Raigetal (10:47):
I know that my grandfather, my teachers and my
father and those who passed oninto another world, this is
their wish, this is their desireto share.
share The the person that I amtoday and the things I speak of
(11:09):
and the knowledge that Iacquired.
I'm just a guardian of it, I'mjust protecting it for those who
came before me and asking Passit on Pasaron to Jay, pass it on
pasaron to Jay's son, pass it onpasaron.
But I'm grateful.
(11:54):
will you respond when you hearthe whisper of the ocean and the
canoe?
Credits.
very grateful and appreciativeThank you to all the people who
(12:15):
are bringing this navigationstory to life as part of an
eight part series right here onthe red rice infinity and
fina'denne' podcast.
To Palo Alto Larry Raigetal forsitting down to interview me
after the 2023 chetlu che'lufestival in san diego.
I fiercely admire and respectyou.
Thank you for becoming myfriend.
(12:35):
To the people from thecarolinian islands.
Thank you for preserving askill set and the way of life
that inspires me.
To guampediacom guampedia.
com especially tanrita tan Ritanauta Nauta for welcoming me
home.
The people behind guampedia'sprojects and the connections
they make were the seeds thatmade this possible for me.
Thank you .
To Dr Melissa Taitsuno Taitanotansandra tan Sandra Okada
(12:57):
Okada, and the others who helpedtell these stories.
Thank you for yourcontributions to the series and
to preserving traditions.
To Sabyu for providing the music.
Lots of what you heardthroughout this series is found
on Sabyu's EP titled Navigator.
You can find it everywhere.
To the homie martin sanchezfrom seismic sound for the sound
production and mastering of theentire series.
(13:17):
Thank you for sharing yourexpertise and your craft.
This series was created,written, edited, scored and told
by me, jay castro, from my homeon the Alameda Island in the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Si' Yu'u s ma'àsi for listening.
For as long as I can remember, I heard a whisper
speaking to me.
I could never understand it.
It was only a few words, but Iheard it everywhere.
I heard it in the bird song.
I heard it in the wind.
(00:25):
I heard it when I rubbedElder's hard-working, rough and
beautiful hands with lotion.
I want to understand you, I'dscream with my fist clenched and
my head dunked in the ocean.
Then one day the whisper saidCome back and let me melt
(00:50):
through the Guam seal, stitcheson your hoodie and warm the
mahålang in your heart.
Then, like I'd been snagged bya hook and a gentle call, the
whisper pulled me to theMarianas, vibrating my temples
like a drag of a Newport menthol.
I flowed with the current tothe deep West Pacific.
I threw a Hafa Adai toTamatoa along the way, we kept
(01:15):
it shiny.
He gave me a Hima, a giant clam, perfect for my Sanahi.
And then we metyour cool island breeze and your
warm lagoons, your red flowertrees like honey to the bees.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
(01:36):
I feel so lucky that you pickedme and a sense of responsibility
.
You pulled me home to show meI'm not alone.
And so now it's up to me toEmbrace the Che'lu that the
others don't see, to live theculture with my family, to honor
myself familia history Inherita soulful wayfinding To navigate
(01:57):
the ocean of mind and will Toopen a sea lane, native skill.
The voyage was a battle, yes,uphill.
Salt pierced my soul refill.
SeaSi Yu'us ma'åse to our
navigating crew, and big propsto the Wa'a canoe, for a safe
passage across the deep blue.
Yeah, thank you.
(02:18):
And a shout out is due to theUniversity of Guam, guampedia
and Island Wisdom, Saina ma'åsefrom the Che'lu in the Bay for
bringing me home and showing methe way.
Showing me the way, yeah,showing me the way.
Saina ma'åse for showing me theway.
You brought me home and showedme the way.
Saina ma'åse from the Che'lu inthe Bay.
(02:45):
The chants, the stars, the waves, the rhythm Everywhere we go we
bring the island with them.
Your cool island breeze andyour warm lagoons, your red
flower trees like honey to thebees.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
I found my place, my soulrenewed.
(03:08):
I always knew I found my place,my soul renewed.
You're the island paradise Ialways knew.
The voyage back to the Marianashelped me to understand that
I'm not alone.
It showed me that my culturehas been looking for me just as
(03:29):
much as I've been looking for myculture.
It's no longer a whisper now,because the island speaks to me,
it pulls me, the culturemarinates within me and I
(03:57):
welcome the embrace of my people.
I heard the whisper from theocean in the canoe and I
(04:18):
responded what would you do ifit spoke to you?
Hafa adai, my name is JayCastro.
I'm your host.
This episode is titled On theIsland and it's the conclusion
of Tao Tao Tåsi, a seriesdedicated to focusing on the
incredible art of Micronesiannavigation and seafaring with
Palu Larry RaigetalGreetings and hello to my
(04:42):
siblings and elders.
I appreciate you all for all that you have done for
the culture.
I am Dr Melissa Taitano.
I'm a professor at theUniversity of Guam and an
(05:04):
ordained Weriyang Pwo Navigatorthrough the estate of Haboilor
in Polowat, maitaupo andRapiniwug Casper Mark.
I work in close collaborationwith Professor Larry Raigetal to
develop and promote thetraditional navigation program
at the University of Guam aspart of the Center of Island
Wisdom, a project founded andmade possible by our current
(05:32):
Madam President, Dr AnitaBorja-Enriquez, and all the
members of the Island WisdomCouncil, namely Dr Gina Rojas,
Dr Monique Storie Dr MikeClement, and Dr Lisa Natividad.
Traditional navigation has animportant role in connecting our
island communities throughoutMicronesia, as well as with our
brothers and sisters livingabroad, in Hawaii and the
(05:53):
continental United States ofAmerica.
Through the UOG MicronesianTraditional Navigation
Certificate Program, we teachand promote our sustainable
cultural values of fa'taota,inadahi yan inagofli'e, or tirow
, loosely translated as respect,compassion and community, which
(06:16):
are also the institutionalvalues of the University of Guam
.
We teach basic knowledge ofcanoe house building, lashing,
weaving, canoe carving andcelestial navigation through
hands-on skills development andinstruction, storytelling and
chant that reveal knowledge ofour shared past not captured
(06:39):
necessarily in our documentaryor written heritage.
Larry Raigetal (06:44):
So, on a daily basis for the class, we offer
three courses throughout theyear One in canoe house building
, so actual physical structurebuilding like a local hut.
The other course is in canoebuilding, so constructing and
learning about trees and how tocarve out a canoe from it and
(07:05):
the application of thattechnology, such as sailing it.
And then the final course is intraditional celestial
navigation, so we take ourstudents out on the canoe and
apply what they've learned innavigation.
And apply what they've learnedin navigation such as okay, what
are the stars that we use
Dr. Melissa Taitano (07:37):
We teach Micronesian traditional
navigation as a component ofcultural preservation but also
cultural on.
into the future, partneringwith disciplines, people and
organizations on 3D mapping,land tenureship, apprenticeship
and fisheries projects, towardssustainability, which is
particularly important in lightof the current climate crisis
and its global effect, which ispronounced in our lower-lying
(07:58):
Micronesian islands and atollsin our lower-lying Micronesian
islands and atolls.
Larry Raigetal (08:03):
You know we can be sure that whatever science
and math is being taught nowfrom a Western perspective
through these institutions ofhigher learning, we have to
appreciate that even ourancestors, through their
technologies whether it's canoebuilding or celestial navigation
, wayfinding, all of that wereapplied math and science too.
(08:25):
So my feeling about thetraditional seafaring courses
that I'm teaching give them theopportunity to understand that
our ways of knowing and learning, as passed down by generation
to the other, as passed down bygeneration to the other, is
(08:46):
equally important as what we'rebeing taught in the setting of a
university classroom orotherwise.
Dr. Melissa Taitano (08:52):
Our aim is to impart these skills to our
students and provide access toelements of our shared heritage
of traditional navigation, andalso to the greater
understanding of ourconnectedness to the ocean, the
land and the sky.
Larry Raigetal (09:07):
It's important also for us to realize and
understand that long beforeinstitutions of higher learning
here within the Pacific come toexistence, our classrooms were
those of the canoe houses.
Our classrooms did not haveconfinement into corners of
walls within a concrete building.
Our classrooms was really fromup in the mountains, down to the
(09:32):
seas and up in the skies.
The boundaries and settings forus to learn was from the land
and from the ocean and from allother elements and plans one has
to offer.
So in that sense to me that'simportant, because we live on
(09:52):
islands surrounded by ocean,with greeneries.
Then it's imperative on us toalso know it to know the
surrounding environment, tocherish and use those resources
the best we know how.
Dr. Melissa Taitano (10:28):
The university of guam traditional
navigation certificate programtoday, was made possible because
of relationship forged overdecades.
And truly in the spirit ofcooperation and love for the
region, between pwoTo those who heard the whispers
of the ocean and the canoe andhad the courage to respond.
respond To these people, I wouldlike to say.
.
.
Larry Raigetal (10:47):
I know that my grandfather, my teachers and my
father and those who passed oninto another world, this is
their wish, this is their desireto share.
share The the person that I amtoday and the things I speak of
(11:09):
and the knowledge that Iacquired.
I'm just a guardian of it, I'mjust protecting it for those who
came before me and asking Passit on Pasaron to Jay, pass it on
pasaron to Jay's son, pass it onpasaron.
But I'm grateful.
(11:54):
will you respond when you hearthe whisper of the ocean and the
canoe?
Credits.
very grateful and appreciativeThank you to all the people who
(12:15):
are bringing this navigationstory to life as part of an
eight part series right here onthe red rice infinity and
fina'denne' podcast.
To Palo Alto Larry Raigetal forsitting down to interview me
after the 2023 chetlu che'lufestival in san diego.
I fiercely admire and respectyou.
Thank you for becoming myfriend.
(12:35):
To the people from thecarolinian islands.
Thank you for preserving askill set and the way of life
that inspires me.
To guampediacom guampedia.
com especially tanrita tan Ritanauta Nauta for welcoming me
home.
The people behind guampedia'sprojects and the connections
they make were the seeds thatmade this possible for me.
Thank you .
To Dr Melissa Taitsuno Taitanotansandra tan Sandra Okada
(12:57):
Okada, and the others who helpedtell these stories.
Thank you for yourcontributions to the series and
to preserving traditions.
To Sabyu for providing the music.
Lots of what you heardthroughout this series is found
on Sabyu's EP titled Navigator.
You can find it everywhere.
To the homie martin sanchezfrom seismic sound for the sound
production and mastering of theentire series.
(13:17):
Thank you for sharing yourexpertise and your craft.
This series was created,written, edited, scored and told
by me, jay castro, from my homeon the Alameda Island in the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Si' Yu'u s ma'àsi for listening.
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