An unremarkable stone woodworking tool found on a tiny atoll 2,500 miles from Hawaii strengthens the theory that early Polynesians sailed skillfully and knowledgeably back and forth across the Pacific Ocean.

The marvelous discovery that the adze was hewn from a volcanic basalt unique to Kahoolawe supports traditional Hawaiian narratives about epic voyages, and the migration of Polynesians as early as a thousand years ago. It is further evidence that the ancient people had keenly developed navigational techniques to deliberately explore the ocean regions.