Expedition Amana is a project to investigate the possibility of a new ancient maritime route by hypothesizing that before Polynesians arrived in the Hawaiian Islands, Native Americans may have traveled from California in reed boats, the oldest boats made of bundles of grass.
This project aims not only to unravel the mysteries of ancient navigation and seaborne migration patterns, but also to gain a new understanding of the environmental changes caused by ecological migration carried by reed boats from an environmental and biological perspective.
In addition, the project will utilize the latest technology live-streaming to share ancient voyages with the world and promote a deeper understanding of education, science, and culture.
This project symbolizes ancient wisdom rooted in harmony with nature, and will inform the world about how to interact with the natural environment in a sustainable manner.
Project Overview
What is EXPEDITION AMANA?
EXPEDITION AMANA is a voyage project aimed at investigating the possibility, historically considered non-existent, that seafaring peoples from the American continent might have reached the Hawaiian Islands during humanity's migration from Africa.
This experimental journey involves recreating a 15-meter reed boat, one of the oldest types of watercraft used in the region, and attempting to sail it from San Francisco Bay to the Hawaiian Islands, located 4000 km(2500ML) away. The expedition emulates a voyage from 7000 years ago, when cotton cloth was found in the Americas, relying on natural wind and currents to reach Hawaii.
Back then, without maps or navigational charts, they would have sharpened their senses to read natural signs in their quest to reach unseen islands—making their journey very different from today's technology-driven, human-centered navigation. This experimental voyage pays close attention to the teachings, stories, perceptions of time, and connections with nature passed down through seafaring and indigenous cultures across regions. Through this, we aim to explore potential ancient maritime routes and the oldest techniques of oceanic navigation.
Background of the AMANA Project
The AMANA Project was born from a historical "void" encountered while exploring the possibility of a Pacific Ocean voyage on a reed boat. Although ancient maritime cultures spread along coastlines from Africa to Eurasia and eventually the Americas, we noticed a gap: no recognized routes exist from the Americas to the islands of the Pacific.
Could it be that, during the thousands of years of migration from Asia to the western coasts of the Americas, ancient seafaring people never once sailed towards Hawaii or the Micronesian islands? There are several explanations for this assumption: Hawaiian DNA indicates Asian ancestry; navigating the 4,000 km from America to Hawaii on primitive boats would be difficult; and there is no archaeological evidence in Hawaii from before 1,000 years ago. According to traditional anthropological theories, the first settlers in the Hawaiian Islands were Polynesians who migrated from the Marquesas and Tahiti around 800–1,000 years ago.
However, through continued study, we developed a hypothesis:
Could it be that ancient American maritime people, before the arrival of Polynesians, utilized wind and ocean currents to reach Hawaii on reed boats?
The following three factors support this hypothesis:
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Advanced Seafaring Techniques of Ancient American Maritime People
Recent studies suggest that maritime people, who reached the Americas around 14,000 years ago, likely voyaged along the coast from East Asia by boat. This indicates they already possessed shipbuilding skills and long-distance navigation experience.
2. Natural Winds and Currents toward Hawaii
Ocean currents and winds from the San Francisco Bay toward Hawaii and Micronesia create natural routes that could allow drifting materials—and potentially, boats—to reach the islands.
3. The Spread of Reed Boat Cultures
As seen in regions of Africa and Asia, reed boat cultures historically existed from the North American West Coast through Central and South America, developing in wetlands and lakes. These communities developed unique navigation techniques over time.
Based on these factors, we hypothesized the possibility of reaching Hawaii on a reed boat from the American West Coast. To test this hypothesis, we planned the "EXPEDITION AMANA," a 4,000 km(2500mi) voyage from San Francisco Bay to the Hawaiian Islands on a reconstructed 15-meter reed boat, aiming to validate this possibility.
New Reed Boat Design
The prototype vessel, Amana-go, is an original design by Jin Ishikawa, inspired by North American Native American designs and incorporating features of reed boats from around the world. To date, evidence of large reed boats remains speculative, primarily based on petroglyphs, murals, and oral traditions, without any definitive records.
Nevertheless, the art of weaving grass and the historical use of small reed boats for fishing, along with the feasibility of building such vessels with ancient materials, have driven many scholars and explorers to attempt the construction of large reed boats.
Jin Ishikawa himself has been involved in such challenges for many years, amassing over 13,000 km of long-distance reed boat voyages. Fully convinced of the feasibility of reed boats crossing the North Pacific, he decided to pursue a new design inspired by North American styles. Instead of replicating the South American Titicaca Lake style often used for long reed boat voyages, this project adopts the North American reed boat style, integrating Ishikawa's past experiences to create an innovative design for the route from San Francisco to Hawaii.
Test Voyages
December 2019: We launched a crowdfunding campaign aimed at completing a test voyage, reaching our funding goal and starting the harvesting of materials for the prototype boat.
2023: In San Francisco Bay, we built and conducted test voyages with a 9-meter prototype vessel. After a three-year delay due to the pandemic, the construction and testing of the boat were made possible through extensive support. The building process, which started with just one volunteer, eventually gathered over 100 people, resulting in the successful completion of the 9-meter prototype boat.
Photo (In Production):
Photo (Launching Ceremony):
A total of 12 test voyages were conducted, allowing us to evaluate various aspects of the new boat design, including hull structure and stability, with the participation of experienced sailors and volunteers.
Photo (During Voyage 1&2):
Concluding the Test Voyages with the Prototype Reed Boat
After three months of test voyages, we transported the prototype boat "AMANA" back to the lake where the reeds were originally harvested. We placed it in the natural waters to observe its buoyancy over time, completing a year-long buoyancy study in April 2024.
On April 19, 2024, a ceremony was held by the lake led by Pomo Big Valley elder Uncle Ron and Joe Weber, marking the boat's return to the earth. This ceremony completed the project's cycle—from harvesting the reeds to returning them to the soil.
By returning the boat to the lake, we ensured that AMANA will enrich the earth, becoming part of the ecosystem, where new reeds may grow, potentially contributing to future reed boats crossing the Pacific. This experience underscored the essence of reed boats as vessels of interconnectedness and continuity.
Achievements of the Test Boat Construction
Through the construction and test voyages of the test boat "AMANA," we have created a meaningful opportunity to introduce the reed boat and its cultural significance to the San Francisco Bay Area community. This project also provided a valuable chance to share and preserve the reed boat tradition with Native American communities.
Additionally, the construction process allowed us to address key challenges for the main voyage, such as selecting the construction site and sourcing materials, marking a major step forward in the project's realization. The support from many volunteers has been invaluable, sparking further enthusiasm for future construction activities.
Local media, including the San Francisco Chronicle, has also featured the project, attracting a broad audience's interest. Through this initiative, opportunities to present at local yacht clubs and community events have increased, expanding public understanding and support for our mission.
July 2024: Preparations Begin in San Francisco
From July to September 2024, team leader Jin Ishikawa and reed boat craftsman Yoshi Nogami traveled to the U.S. to begin preparations for the main voyage. With a year-long permit secured for reed harvesting in specific wetlands, they conducted a survey for the construction of the main vessel. This involved identifying optimal locations for harvesting, drying, transporting, and storing the 5,000 bundles of reeds needed for the 2026 voyage. They also gathered data on essential considerations such as heat management and rest area provisions.
Another objective of this trip was to strengthen connections with Native American communities. In exploring ancient seafaring, this project values the wisdom passed down through indigenous traditions, particularly in relation to nature and reed boat culture. While there is ongoing collaboration with the Pomo people, it became clear that other tribes also share a history of reed boat traditions. Together with Big Valley Rancheria elders, Uncle Ron and Joe Weber, the team participated in intertribal events to share the vision of Expedition AMANA, fostering discussions on harvesting and boat construction collaborations.
| SCHEDULE
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October 2024 - December 2025
Preparation activities for the AMANA reed boat -
June - September 2025
Reed harvesting operations -
February - May 2026
Construction of a 50-foot reed boat -
June - July 2026
After test sailing and loading of supplies, we will depart from San Francisco Bay, California, aiming to reach the Hawaiian Islands, 4,000 km away, over the course of two months.
This schedule is based on securing $2 million in operational funding, equivalent in-kind support, or volunteer participation by October 2025.
Reed Boat made more than 7,000 years ago.
Reed Boat had been used for many purposes such as transportation and delivery.
It was used on lake, river, and sea and appeared in ancient civilization like Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Europe, Asia and all over the American continental.
Profile of the Representative
Jin Ishikawa , born 1967
Explorer, Reed Boat Craftsman,
Reed Boat Navigator,
Captain of the AMANA Vessel
From age 20, Jin Ishikawa began backpacking.
In the 1990s, he undertook journeys such as a solo 2,700 km trek across the Sahara Desert with a camel, building and using skin boats for whaling with the Iñupiat in Alaska, navigating 800 km through the South American jungle on a dugout canoe, and completing a reed boat circuit of Lake Titicaca in the Andes. Through these experiences, he learned deeply from Indigenous communities in remote regions about ways of connecting with nature that are rarely accessible in modern society.
From 1997 to 2002, Ishikawa served as a crew member in the official UN reed boat project led by Spanish explorer Kitín Muñoz, voyaging a total of 12,000 km across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans on the large reed vessel Matarangi.
Since 2005, as project leader and captain, he conducted Japan's first open-sea 1,000 km reed boat voyage from Kochi Prefecture to Kozushima Island in the Izu Archipelago.
In 2003, Ishikawa established the Kamuna Reed Boat Project, organizing reed boat-building workshops across various locations and creating 350 reed boats in a range of sizes.
In 2018, he founded EXPEDITION AMANA and, in 2023, constructed and test-sailed a 9-meter prototype Tule reed boat.
He is currently preparing for an experimental reed boat voyage from San Francisco to Hawaii.
USA: Representative of EXPEDITION AMANA Nonprofit Organization Association
Japan: Representative Director of EXPEDITION AMANA General Incorporated Association
Jin Ishikawa's website ⇨ http://www.jinishikawa.com/english
Depart from San Francisco Bay to Hawaiian Islands!
Donation / Volunteer recruitment
EXPEDITION AMANA is looking for donations and volunteer staff.
If you would like to join as a translator, we are looking for translators for English/ Japanese or Spanish/ Japanese.
If you would like to join as a Reed Boat builder, we are looking for who cut Reed(Tule) and who build tule reed boat in West Coast in California US.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
【 翻訳 】
【 DONATION 】
We need 100,000 USD for the test voyage in Feb 2023.
We, all members of EXPEDITION AMANA, would like to ask your cooperation for realization.
Support by bank transfer
◎MUFG Bank, Ltd.
Nagasaki Branch
(Ordinary) 0420939
(Sha) Expedition Amana
Click here to support us by credit card.
【VOLUNTEER】
[ Donations / Volunteers ]
Volunteer for the construction of a around 30 feet test boat which will be built in April 2023
・ Build Reed Boat
Volunteers for building structures such as hull parts, masts, sails, rudder, and so on
Place: Sausalito San Francisco Bay area in US
Term: April, 2023 (Term, Conditions, and details are TBD.)
[ Volunteer for harvesting and build tule reed boat ]
ーConnecting wisdomー
"EXPEDITION AMANA" aims to learn the wisdom of tule reed boat since ancient times.
If you would like to join us, please contact us. It will be a great pleasure for us.
Thank you for your support and cooperation.
EXPEDITION AMANA
Head of Project
Jin Ishikawa
