This dissertation explains stick charts from the Marshall Islands and how each one is unique to the navigator who created it. Stick charts are navigational tools that map the ocean's geography by illustrating how the atolls interrupt the ocean swells without giving any significant detail to the landmasses themselves. Examining these instruments may lead to an understanding of how the Marshallese people perceive maritime space. The stick charts are frequently compared to cartesian maps and the physical geography of the area. However, as time is a large factor in sailing, I examined the varied elements of several stick charts as a matter of time rather than space. The geographic distance between two atolls is constant, but the placement of the atolls on each chart fluctuates. The possibility for the different placements is due to the influences of the sea causing and outward journey to take more or less time than the return. Through investigating the charts and linking elements of seafaring, the artefacts may convey abstract illustrations or literal representations of their environment. This dissertation aims to not only analyze the Marshallese stick charts, but to collate components of their culture and heritage in order to explain the environment these charts were used in. This supports the idea that maritime space can be derived from how these charts were created. Based on each person's view of the sea, the information they deliver will be built on perception of time, distance, and obstacles.
