Satawal Ways

Pwuupw (Triggerfish Charts)

Pwuupw (or bwubw) is the Satawalese name for the diamond-shaped triggerfish as well as for the Southern Cross (also diamond-shaped). Both are important in navigation. The triggerfish image helps a navigator to map and remember the positions of islands in his mind. He imagines a triggerfish lying on the sea. He places himself in the middle of the fish and associates islands and other points (like reefs GLOSSARY reefs - areas of rock or coral below the surface of the water , swells GLOSSARY swells - rolling waves caused by trade winds and storms , and sometimes mythical islands) with the five parts of the fish: the head, spine, tail, and two fins. A single triggerfish map overlaps others to provide a large triggerfish map of an area, called pwuupwunapanap.