Satawal Ways

Arurwow (Parrot Fish)

Like ofanuw, arurwow is a way of remembering the star paths between islands. The navigator imagines an ura (parrot fish) hiding in the wow (reef channel) of an island. When the fisherman tries to catch the ura, it swims to the wow of the next island. Again the fisherman tries to catch the ura, and again it swims to the next island. Finally, it returns to the wow in Satawal. Because navigators never say the island names in arurwow, they can use it to talk about voyages in secret (the same as in sea brothers).