When I came across a photo of a Marshall Islands stick chart on Tumblr, I had no idea that it was anything other than an elegant piece of modern art. I was very surprised to discover that the stick chart was an important piece of navigational equipment that was in active use for thousands of years.
The Marshall Islands are a group of over a thousand small islands in the northern Pacific, which were settled in the second millennium BC. Stick charts were an ingenious way to navigate among the islands by canoe. The charts, made from coconut fronds tied together in an open framework, depicted major ocean swell patterns and the ways the islands disrupted those patterns. Shells were sometimes tied to the framework to represent the position of islands. Reading and interpreting the charts was a crucial skill handed down through generations.
The Marshallese continued to use canoes and stick charts for navigation until the mid-20th century, when they gradually switched to motorboats and electronic navigation systems. The charts survive not only as history, but as an art form deeply imbued with the values of an ancient, ocean-centric culture.
The Finch and Pea 
Aren’t they marvellous?
People have made modern stick charts which they seem to think of as modern art/home decor… without referencing the Polynesian nautical charts. I don’t know if they, ahem, stole the idea or came up with it independently.
http://magpieandwhiskeyjack.blogspot.ca/2011/12/stick-charts-and-woven-branch-maps.html
Hello, Recently a friend was downsizing there home and had a stick map and another piece with it. Is there a market for this or a place to donate????????? Thank you for your help in advance
Sorry, I really don’t know!