How many islands make up the Polynesian islands?
There are three primary island groups that make up the tropical islands of the area called Oceania in the Pacific Ocean - Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This article lists highlights of the islands that form the island group called Polynesia.
Where did the Polynesians settle?
Polynesia comprised islands diffused throughout a triangular area with sides of four thousand miles. The area from the Hawaiian Islands in the north, to Easter Island in the east and to New Zealand in the south were all settled by Polynesians.
Who are the indigenous people of Polynesia?
The indigenous people of these islands are called "Polynesians". Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania and is made up of over 1,000 islands that lay scattered over a mind-bogglingly vast region of the central and southern Pacific Ocean. Polynesians share various things in common like language relatedness, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs.
Which country has the highest population of Polynesians?
New Zealand had the highest population of Polynesians, estimated at 110,000 in the 18th century. [7] Polynesians have acquired a reputation as great navigators—their canoes reached the most remote corners of the Pacific, allowing the settlement of islands as far apart as Hawaii, Rapanui (Easter Island) and Aotearoa (New Zealand). [8]
How many Polynesian islands are inhabited?
75Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017.
How many different Polynesian cultures are there?
two distinct culturesToday, Polynesia has two distinct cultures: West Polynesian and East Polynesian. West Polynesian culture is categorized by high populations, strong institutions of marriage, and well-developed judicial and trade systems. West Polynesian islands include Tonga, Niue, Samoa, and the Polynesian outliers.
How many Polynesian countries are there?
Polynesia includes six independent nations (New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands), two political bodies part of larger nations (Hawaii with the United States and Easter Island with Chile), two self-governing bodies with ties to former colonial powers (Niue and the Cook Islands with New ...
How many islands did the Polynesians colonize?
Accidental or Intentional Migration? The geographic area in Remote Oceania called the Polynesian triangle encompasses Aotearoa, Hawaii, and Easter Island as its corners and includes more than 1,000 islands.
What are the 7 Polynesian islands?
Geographically, the Polynesian Triangle is drawn by connecting the points of Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island. The other main island groups located within the Polynesian Triangle are Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia.
What Polynesian culture is Moana based on?
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti.
What race is Polynesian?
Polynesians are part of the Austronesian-speakers who migrated from Taiwan and crossed to the Pacific through the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, and Melanesia. Analysis of the Polynesian DNA has shown that the Polynesian people are closely related to East Asians, Micronesians, and Taiwanese Aborigines.
Is Hawaii considered Polynesia?
Hawaii is the only US state entirely composed of an island. Hawaii is the northernmost island group in Polynesia and can be rightfully be referred to as a Polynesian. It includes almost the entire of volcanic Hawaiian Archipelago which is made of several islands spread over 1,500 miles in the central Pacific Ocean.
Who were the first Polynesians?
Lapita peopleThe Lapita people, the ancestors of modern-day Pacific Islanders, first sailed from coastal New Guinea roughly 5,000 years ago, reaching the Solomon Islands around 3,100 years ago and gradually expanding farther east toward what is now the archipelago Tonga, Burley told LiveScience.
What was the first Polynesian island to be settled?
the Marquesas IslandsIn the history of French Polynesia, the French Polynesian island groups do not share a common history before the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. The first French Polynesian islands to be settled by Polynesians were the Marquesas Islands in AD 300 and the Society Islands in AD 800.
What country is Moana set in?
The fictional movie takes place 3,000 years ago in the islands of Polynesia, an area that includes Hawaii, Tonga and Tahiti. The star is 16-year-old Moana, voiced by Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho, who goes on an ocean voyage with Maui, voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Is Fiji a Polynesian or Melanesian?
MelanesiansFijians. Fijians, the indigenous inhabitants of Fiji, are Melanesians who possess a mixture of Polynesian blood which is very apparent in the eastern islands (such as the Lau group), but less so in the west and interiors of the main islands.
What are the eight main Polynesian cultures?
These include the cultures of Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Rapa Nui, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga. Polynesian people also populated the Cook Islands, Niue, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, the Truant Archipelago, Tokelau, and Pitcairn.
What cultures are Polynesian?
Polynesian culture, the beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the ethnogeographic group of Pacific islands known as Polynesia (from Greek poly 'many' and nēsoi 'islands'). Polynesia encompasses a huge triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean.
How many Pacific island nations are there?
15There are 15 independent Pacific Island nations in addition to tens of thousands of islands, islets, and atolls.
Is Hawaii considered Polynesia?
Hawaii is the only US state entirely composed of an island. Hawaii is the northernmost island group in Polynesia and can be rightfully be referred to as a Polynesian. It includes almost the entire of volcanic Hawaiian Archipelago which is made of several islands spread over 1,500 miles in the central Pacific Ocean.
When did the Polynesians settle in the Pacific?
The ancestors of the Polynesians, the Lapita people, set out from Taiwan and settled Remote Oceania between 1100-900 BCE, although there is evidence of Lapita settlements in the Bismarck Archipelago as early as 2000 BCE.
Why was the wayfinding skills of the Polynesian people important to the question of purposeful human settlement of?
Crucial to the question of purposeful human settlement of the Pacific is the wayfinding skills of the Polynesian people because their navigational techniques allowed them to cross a vast ocean using little more than memory.
Where did the waka sail from?
In 2018 CE, a young crew sailed a double-hulled voyaging waka from Aotearoa to Norfolk Island, off the east coast of Australia. Although they met with high ocean swells and unfavourable winds, the voyage was intended to teach young people the art of navigating by the stars and reconnecting with ancestral traditions. Polynesian navigation will have a modern renaissance through education and reconnection.
How did the Polynesians learn to navigate?
The Polynesians knew the language of the stars. They had a highly developed navigation system that involved not only observation of the stars as they rose and crossed the night sky, but the memorisation of entire sky charts. Throughout the Pacific, island navigators taught young men the skills acquired over generations. Navigational knowledge was a closely guarded secret within a navigator family, and education started at an early age. In Kiribati, for example, lessons were taught in the maneaba (meeting house) where rafters and beams were sectioned off to correspond to a segment of the night sky. The position of each star at sunrise and sunset and the star paths between islands were etched into memory. Stones and shells were placed on mats or in the sand to teach star-lore. Karakia (prayer) and oral stories contained references to navigation instructions. Te Ika-roa, for example, meant the Milky Way; Atua-tahi is Canopus; Tawera is Venus the morning star; Meremere is Venus the evening star. The following are navigational instructions from Kupe:
What did the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands use to sail?
The inhabitants of the Pacific islands had been voyaging across vast expanses of ocean water sailing in double canoes or outriggers using nothing more than their knowledge of the stars and observations of sea and wind patterns to guide them.
How much of the Earth's surface is the Pacific Ocean?
The Pacific Ocean is one-third of the earth's surface and its remote islands were the last to be reached by humans. These islands are scattered across an ocean that covers 165.25 million square kilometres (63.8 million square miles).
When did humans first move to the Pacific?
By at least 10,000 years ago, humans had migrated to most of the habitable lands that could be reached on foot. What remained was the last frontier – the myriad islands of the Pacific Ocean that required boat technology and navigational methods be developed that were capable of long-range ocean voyaging. Near Oceania, which consists of mainland New Guinea and its surrounding islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Admiralty Islands, and the Solomon Islands was settled in an out-of- Africa migration c. 50,000 years ago during the Pleistocene period. These first settlers of the Pacific are the ancestors of Melanesians and Australian Aboriginals. The small distances between the islands in Near Oceania meant that people could island-hop using rudimentary ocean-going craft.
When did Polynesians first settle in the Western Islands?
It certainly presented difficulties when the ancestors of the Polynesians entered the area some 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, first settling on the western islands—Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, and Tonga—which were devoid of much that was needed for human habitation. As a result, early peoples had to take in a wide variety of subsistence items, ...
Where did Polynesians move to?
Many Polynesians have moved to New Zealand (especially Auckland) and the United States (especially Hawaii, California, Washington, and Oregon). By the early 21st century, more Samoans and Cook Islanders were living away from their original islands than on them. Pago Pago harbour, Tutuila, American Samoa.
How did the French Polynesian nuclear test affect the economy?
The nuclear-testing program also changed French Polynesia’s economy and the distribution of its population considerably. It generated an artificial sense of affluence by bringing in thousands of military personnel, creating a myriad of jobs, and initiating an influx of funding with which to guarantee the region’s loyalty and strategic services. Many French Polynesians left their villages for urban areas, causing the previous era’s self-sufficient subsistence economy to shift to a wage-based system. While French Polynesia came to have one of the highest standards of living in the South Pacific, many people’s livelihoods became intricately tied to the “nuclear economy,” which was exceedingly dependent on a continued military presence. With the end of testing in 1996, the French Polynesian government sought ways to diversify the local economy, aided by several years of financial assistance from the French government. Tourism emerged as one of the islands’ main economic activities. In addition, despite the pro-French messages conveyed by the educational system and the French-controlled media, an antinuclear and pro-independence movement emerged in the islands. Its activities became a major factor in France’s decision to change French Polynesia’s status from that of a territory to that of an overseas collectivity, which included greater autonomy for the islands.
What is the Polynesian culture?
Polynesian culture, the beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the ethnogeographic group of Pacific islands known as Polynesia (from Greek poly ‘many’ and nēsoi ‘islands’). Polynesia encompasses a huge triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean.
What was the physical environment of the Polynesian islands?
The physical environment of the Polynesian islands is not as favourable for human habitation as it might at first seem. It certainly presented difficulties when the ancestors of the Polynesians entered the area some 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, first settling on the western islands—Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, and Tonga—which were devoid of much that was needed for human habitation. As a result, early peoples had to take in a wide variety of subsistence items, including most of the useful plants and all of the domestic animals they required. The physical environment has continued to exert a marked influence on Polynesian culture.
How did Polynesia change?
Some of these disruptions have been quite severe. For example, French Polynesia was forever changed when it became a nuclear test site, a process begun in 1962 when France’s former testing ground, Algeria, gained independence. The French government built testing facilities on two uninhabited atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago: Mururoa and Fangataufa. Over the next three decades, 192 bombs were detonated at those facilities. The first series of bombs (1966–74) were exploded in the atmosphere and thereby created a large amount of radioactive fallout. Regional antinuclear protests eventually compelled the French to shift to underground detonation, in which explosions were contained in shafts that had been bored deep beneath the land surface of Moruroa Atoll and its lagoon. Although decreasing the risk of atmospheric contamination, the subterranean testing program has caused the atoll to sink several yards.
What colonial powers ruled Polynesia?
Britain annexed New Zealand through the Treaty of Waitangi (1840), but interethnic tension arose between the indigenous Maori. Other colonial powers that laid claim to various parts of Polynesia included France, Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Chile.
Which islands did the Polynesians settle on?
Polynesians have acquired a reputation as great navigators—their canoes reached the most remote corners of the Pacific, allowing the settlement of islands as far apart as Hawaii, Rapanui (Easter Island) and Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Where did the Polynesians come from?
The direct ancestors of the Polynesians were the Neolithic Lapita culture, which emerged in Island Melanesia and Micronesia at around 1500 BC from a convergence of migration waves of Austronesians originating from both Island Southeast Asia to the west and an earlier Austronesian migration to Micronesia to the north.
What is the origin of the Polynesian Triangle?
Origins. The Polynesian spread of colonization of the Pacific throughout the so-called Polynesian Triangle. Polynesians, including Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian Mā'ohi, Hawaiian Māoli, Marquesans and New Zealandic Māori, are a subset of the Austronesian peoples.
When did Polynesians arrive in ISEA?
Ancestors of the Polynesians arrived in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea at least 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.
What is the most widely accepted theory of Austronesian origin?
There are multiple hypotheses on the ultimate origin and mode of dispersal of the Austronesian peoples, but the most widely accepted theory is that modern Austronesians originated from migrations out ...
Where did the Polynesians travel?
Comparisons of present-day Polynesians’ DNA indicate that sea journeys launched from Samoa in western Polynesia headed south and then east, reaching Rarotonga in the Cook Islands by around the year 830. From the mid-1100s to the mid-1300s, people who had traveled farther east to a string of small islands called the Tuamotus fanned out to settle Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, and several other islands separated by thousands of kilometers on Polynesia’s eastern edge. On each of those islands, the Tuamotu travelers built massive stone statues like the ones Easter Island is famed for.
When did the Polynesians reach Mataiva?
Settlers reached the island of Mataiva in the northern Tuamotus by about 1110 , the researchers suggest. Statue makers navigated northward and eastward from Mataiva or perhaps other Tuamotu islands to as far east as Rapa Nui — eventually curving back west before arriving at Raivavae — around the same time as an earlier DNA study suggests eastern Polynesians mated with South Americans ( SN: 7/8/20 ). (It’s not clear whether South Americans crossed the ocean to Polynesia or Polynesians traveled to South America and then returned.)
How many islands are there in Tuamotus?
The Tuamotus include nearly 80 islands situated between Tahiti to the west and other islands to the north and east where settlers carved statues. The latter outposts consist of the Marquesas Islands, Mangareva and Rapa Nui. Another late-settled island where inhabitants carved statues, Raivavae, lies southwest of the Tuamotus.
Who suggested that people with shared ancestry brought stone carving to Rapa Nui and other islands?
Kirch, who has previously suggested that these long-distance contacts in eastern Polynesian influenced stone carving traditions, calls the new proposal that people with a shared ancestry brought stone carving to Rapa Nui and other islands “a provocative hypothesis.”
Did Ioannidis support Polynesia's settlement?
Ioannidis and colleagues’ conclusions generally support prior scenarios of Polynesia’s settlement, but some disparities exist between their genetic evidence and earlier archaeological and linguistic findings, writes archaeologist Patrick Kirch of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in a commentary published with the new study.
How did Polynesian ancestry influence Hawaiian culture?
Consequently, Polynesian ancestry influenced Hawaiian native customs and traditions. However, Hawaiians perfected and refined the cultural aspects of Polynesian traditions. One of the examples is the clothing that Hawaiian settlers were making.
What were the first settlements in Hawaii?
The First Settlements in Hawaii Were Farmers and Fishermen. Sunset in Hawaii. While on Hawaiian Islands, the Polynesians were providing for themselves through farming and fishing. They did not arrive at the island empty-handed; on the ships, they brought their native seeds and plants, like taro and sugar cane, along with animals, ...
What Was the Culture of the First Settlers?
Besides the plants and animals native to their homeland, the first settlers from Polynesia brought their traditions, crafts, and religious beliefs. Consequently, Polynesian ancestry influenced Hawaiian native customs and traditions. However, Hawaiians perfected and refined the cultural aspects of Polynesian traditions. One of the examples is the clothing that Hawaiian settlers were making. While they used the same material, kapa, for their clothing, Hawaiians were more creative with the material than their ancestors. They used pigments from vegetables to dye their clothes in different colors. Moreover, they used flowers to make the clothes fragrant. They also stamped their clothing with bamboo to create patterns. Among other cultural aspects are physical and recreational activities. Hawaiians had competitions with neighboring lands in athletics, swimming, and games.
What material did the Hawaiians use to make their clothes?
While they used the same material, kapa, for their clothing, Hawaiians were more creative with the material than their ancestors. They used pigments from vegetables to dye their clothes in different colors. Moreover, they used flowers to make the clothes fragrant.
What did the Hawaiians do to make their clothes fragrant?
Moreover, they used flowers to make the clothes fragrant. They also stamped their clothing with bamboo to create patterns. Among other cultural aspects are physical and recreational activities. Hawaiians had competitions with neighboring lands in athletics, swimming, and games.
Why do Hawaiians have a close connection to nature?
The people of Hawaii have a very close connection to nature, and it is perhaps the reason why they have a tight connection with the traditions of their ancestors.
When did the first people settle in Hawaii?
The first settlements in Hawaii appeared around 300-600 A.D. The first people to reach Hawaii were Polynesians who came to the island from the Marquesas Islands. These settlers built their homes near the ocean and started farming, providing food for themselves while on the island. These first settlers have lived on the island hundreds of years until the next group of settlers arrived, also Polynesians, but from Tahiti. The Tahitians did not want to co-exist along with the Polynesian farmers, so they exiled them to the mountains. Tahitians lived on the Hawaiian Islands until James Cook and his crew arrived in the late 1700s.
Ancient Voyaging & Settlement of The Pacific
Accidental Or Intentional Migration?
- The geographic area in Remote Oceania called the Polynesian triangle encompasses Aotearoa, Hawaii, and Easter Island as its corners and includes more than 1,000 islands. Between some of the islands in this triangle, there are distances of more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles). Northern Vanuatu to Fiji, for example, is more than 800 kilometres (497 miles), and it would hav…
Indigenous Navigation Techniques
- Unfortunately, most of the traditional Polynesian navigation knowledge has been lost for several reasons: 1. most European explorers were sceptical of indigenous seafaring skills, and this was rooted in the deep sense of technological superiority of the Western narrative of the time. 2. indigenous navigational knowledge was an oral tradition. It was not recorded systematically, an…
Stars, Seas, Winds, Birds
- The Polynesians knew the language of the stars. They had a highly developed navigation system that involved not only observation of the stars as they rose and crossed the night sky, but the memorisation of entire sky charts. Throughout the Pacific, island navigators taught young men the skills acquired over generations. Navigational knowledge was a closely guarded secret withi…
Voyaging Canoes & Sails
- Polynesians mariners developed the double-hulled canoe (also called a catamaran). Some of their voyaging canoes were longer than Cook's Endeavour, which was approximately 30 metres (98 feet), although the average length for the canoes was 15.2-22.8 metres (50-75 feet). Canoes with an outrigger on one side were favoured in Micronesia (western Pacific region). The carrying cap…
Preserving Indigenous Knowledge
- There has been recent effort to better understand and preserve the remarkable feats of seamanship that enabled Polynesians to steer their craft with accuracy across the vast expanse of the Pacific. In 1985 CE, a 22-metre (72 feet) voyaging waka christened Hawaikinui was built. Its twin-hull was constructed from two insect-resistant New Zealand totara trees, and the waka suc…