Stories Carried by the Sea: TAS Students Explore the Living Traditions of Ocean Voyaging Through Film, Music, and Global Collaboration

What happens when students step beyond the classroom and learn directly from culture, community, and history? 

For a group of Upper School students at Taipei American School (TAS), that question has become a living journey, one that stretches across oceans, cultures, and generations. 

Over the past two years, TAS film and music production students have been part of a remarkable collaboration connecting Taiwan and Palau through the intersection of traditional knowledge and modern storytelling. Through filmmaking, music composition, and documentary work, students are helping document the traditions of Pacific voyaging while exploring the deep Austronesian connections that link Taiwan with communities across the Pacific. 

Earlier this year, twenty-five TAS students traveled to Palau to work alongside partners including Palau Community College, the Micronesian Voyaging Society, and the Palau Pledge. There, students had the opportunity to learn from master navigator Sesario Sewralur and his crew, documenting traditional navigation practices that have guided Pacific Islanders across the ocean for generations. 

Rather than simply studying history from afar, students experienced it firsthand. 

“Having explored Palau’s traditional ecological knowledge last year, I learned to appreciate the importance of learning from other cultures,” said one TAS film student involved in the project. “But it wasn’t until this latest adventure with Sesario that I realized cultural exchange could also mean becoming more in tune with my own heritage.” 

For many students, the experience deepened their understanding of Taiwan’s place within the broader Austronesian world. The shared ancestry of Pacific navigation revealed connections that span thousands of miles yet remain rooted in common traditions and knowledge systems. 

“The project became very personal because my team and I were able to work through the medium we were most passionate about, filmmaking,” the student explained. “Telling the story this way gave us the freedom to express our own perspectives. The film we’re creating is shaped just as much by our personal takeaways as it is by the facts we learned.” 

Through their work, students are documenting stories connected to voyages such as that of the traditional canoe Alingano Maisu, whose journeys symbolize the enduring knowledge and cultural traditions of Pacific navigation. The documentary and media projects produced by TAS students aim not only to tell a story but also to contribute to cultural preservation and education. 

The partnership has also grown into a meaningful exchange of learning and service. 

During the visit to Palau, TAS donated sixteen iMac workstations to Palau Community College, helping establish two new computer labs that will support a developing film program and student film club. TAS students also led filmmaking workshops with local high school and college students, sharing technical skills while learning from their peers and the surrounding community. 

Investigating these shared cultural roots also fostered personal connections. 

“What’s more, exploring these common origins allowed me to build relationships with people from Palau and other Pacific islands who helped guide us along the way,” the student reflected. “For all the differences and distance between our nations, the shared ancestry of navigation helps bring us together.” 

One message from master navigator Sesario Sewralur continues to resonate deeply with the students involved. 

“We are never divided by the ocean; we are connected by the ocean.” 

For TAS faculty members guiding the project, the voyage represents something larger than a documentary film. It reflects the kind of learning experiences that empower students to engage thoughtfully with the world around them. 

“This voyage is a living classroom, seen through the eyes of students,” said Brett Barrus, our Upper School Film Teacher, who has been closely involved in supporting the project. “By using modern media to share ancient wisdom, they are doing more than just capturing a story. They are finding their place in a long tradition of community, connection, and service.” 

Continuing the Journey in Taiwan 

This learning journey continues as the traditional voyaging canoe Alingano Maisu arrives in Taiwan, marking an important moment in a story that spans oceans and generations. 

Members of the TAS film and music team recently traveled to Taitung, where they continued documenting the voyage and connecting with communities that share Austronesian cultural roots. 

Through long-standing relationships between the Micronesian Voyaging Society and partners in Taiwan, including the Hunter School in Taitung founded by Sakinu Ahronglong, TAS students were able to witness and document a deeply meaningful cultural moment. Sakinu, along with members of the Hunter School community, had also participated in the recent voyage from Palau to Taiwan, further strengthening these cross-ocean connections. 

Sakinu is not a new connection to the TAS community. Years ago, he visited campus as a guest author, sharing his story and book with Upper School students. Returning now to Taitung, he expressed how meaningful it was to welcome TAS students to the Hunter School in person, closing a circle that began in the classroom and continued through lived experience. 

Through the connection of Fish Tung from the TAS Communications Office, the school has been able to build and deepen its relationship with the Hunter School. This growing partnership reflects a shared commitment to creating more opportunities for student learning, cultural exchange, and future collaboration. 

“Sakinu has always been a brother, a role model, and a mentor to me,” Fish shared. “Growing up with him was a gift. It shaped my character and how I see the world in so many ways. I hope our students can begin to glimpse what that experience is like, the values, perspectives, and sense of identity that are rooted in traditional Indigenous knowledge and culture.” 

As the voyaging journey extended to Taiwan, TAS film and music students traveled to Taitung to continue documenting the project and engage directly with local communities connected to these living traditions. They witnessed a powerful ceremony marking the crew’s arrival. Master navigator Sesario Sewralur was carried ashore in a symbolic canoe, followed by the voyaging crew, honoring traditions of arrival practiced across generations. The gathering continued with a traditional pig ceremony and the exchange of gifts, reinforcing relationships between communities. 

Traditional leaders and youth from several Paiwan Indigenous communities attended in ceremonial dress. They were joined by long-time practitioners of Austronesian cultural exchange from Hawai‘i, Tahiti, Palau, and Taiwan, all coming together to witness a moment of connection across the ocean. 

For students, the experience was both immersive and deeply eye-opening. Beyond documenting the event, they conducted interviews with Sakinu Ahronglong, master navigator Sesario Sewralur, and members of the voyaging crew, gaining insight into the knowledge, values, and lived experiences behind these traditions. 

The return of Alingano Maisu to Taiwan also builds on the momentum of previous voyages. Following last year’s historic journey, this arrival marked another chapter in an ongoing exchange that continues to reconnect island communities across the Pacific. Over decades, these relationships have grown through shared efforts to rediscover and sustain Austronesian heritage, culminating in gatherings like this one. 

Through it all, students came to understand that wayfinding is not only about navigating the ocean. It is also expressed through music, art, tattooing, storytelling, and food. Through ceremonies, exchanges, and dialogue, communities continue to reconnect, honoring ancestral knowledge while shaping new pathways forward. 

Learning That Extends Beyond the Classroom 

For the students involved, the experience has transformed the way they think about learning, storytelling, and cultural responsibility. 

Projects like this remind our community that education is not confined to classrooms or textbooks. Sometimes, learning takes place on the ocean, through conversations with knowledge keepers, or through the responsibility of documenting stories that deserve to be heard. 

By combining modern filmmaking with traditional knowledge, TAS students are helping carry forward stories that connect communities across the Pacific. And in the process, they are discovering something about themselves as well. 

As one student reflected through the project’s message: 

“For all the differences and distance between our nations, the shared ancestry of navigation helps bring us together.” 

Through journeys like this, students are not only documenting history, but they are also learning how to listen to it, honor it, and share it with the world.