Furthermore, at least in Maori society, “the exchange of commodities between one group and another, despite their bellicosity and rivalry, was well-developed.” (Clark, 24). Weisler, Marshall I. There are many different theories of how the Polynesian Islands were settled, and how these settlers managed to find and voyage to these islands that are in some of the remote places in the world. On an isolated island with limited resources, it is not difficult to imagine that overpopulation would occasionally occur and encourage portions of the society to migrate. Put simply these issues are: Early European explorers like James Cook noted similarities in the language used on different islands thus establishing a link between Pacific peoples. (2000) and ... with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone for migration into the Polynesian Outlier communities in Melanesia and Micronesia. They brought their world view with them when they arrived in Hawai`i by voyaging canoe from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), settling the islands circa 300-600 AD. The two main theories today are called the Express Train Hypothesis and the Slow Boat Hypothesis. American Association for the Advancement of Science March 2, 2001 291.5509: 1735-737. Ancient voyaging: from Asia to Near Oceania The combination of these two studies strongly implies that Polynesians are descended from Melanesians and more distantly from Southeast Asians, but are genetically distinct from indigenous South Americans in locations such as Peru and Colombia. Geochemists have been able to place basaltic artifacts in both time and place, further clarifying the accepted narrative of migration from west to east. "Canoe Voyage of Otahiti Nui." JSTOR. The chance of any voyage resulting in a new discovery was low. The eastern Pacific is virtually empty, and huge areas of ocean had to be crossed to find remaining islands. The church teaches that “among Polynesian ancestors were the people of Hagoth, who set sail from Nephite lands in approximately 54 BC“ (1111). Finney, Ben R. "Anomalous Westerlies, El Nino, and the Colonization of Polynesia." Many Polynesian artifacts are crafted from obsidian, which “has a restricted natural occurrence yet was transferred great distances” (Weisler 2, 1881), which makes it a relatively easy rock to trace. This suggests that this ancient human might have been able to cross a couple of very short water gaps in the Lesser Sumba chain of islands in order to reach Flores. A theory he based on the physical … 10 Jan. 2011. JSTOR. The “Express Train” and “Slow Boat” theorie s assert that the migration of the Proto-Polynesian people began around 6,000 years before present (BP) or around 10,000 years BP respectively. Much of the evidence sensationalized by Kon-Tiki can also be used to support prehistoric contact; while Heyerdahl did not have sufficient proof to back up his claims, biological and cultural similarities between the two regions may suggest trade or other short-term voyaging. 10 Jan. 2011. Woods Hole, MA. While these islands are separated by thousands of miles of open ocean, Pacific islanders’ methods of sailing and navigation were likely well-developed and quite accurate. Samoan Culture 3.1 a. Mataj system and Land tenure 3.1 b. Decision-makingprocess of soalaupule 3.1 c. Tautua and fa'alayelaye and fesoasoanj 3.1 d. Aig,a and kinship networks 3.1 e. Church as integral part of fa'a-Samoa 3.2. On maps a geological division called the Andesite Line runs between the two regions; oceanic islands lie to the east of the line. Today, however, strong linguistic, cultural, and archaeological evidence from research in both the physical and social sciences points to colonization originating in Southeast Asia or Indonesia. Additionally, Polynesian society was highly stratified, and territory was divided between ari’i, or noble families. Archaeology suggests that the migration eastward occurred in roughly two waves, the first occurring in the Bismarck Archipelago, Samoa and Tonga from 1600–1200 BC, and the second occurring later and spreading to the outer reaches of the Polynesian Triangle, bordered by Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand. Instead, Heyerdahl proposed that the Polynesians must have left the west coast of South America and sailed westwards into Polynesia. Using these methods, Weisler was able to cluster artifacts found in various locations on the Society Islands and Mangareva to specific source sites: Eiao in the Marquesas, and Mata’are in the Cook Islands (Weisler, 526 – check.) Cultural and linguistic evidence further supports the west-to-east migration pattern, with striking similarities observed across the Polynesian Triangle. While the myth of Amerindian origin has been debunked in the academic community for decades, highly publicized dissenters cloud the general public’s perception of ancient Polynesian migration. The first explorers had no maps or navigational instruments, and there has been spirited debate among sailors and scholars as to how they settled the region. The author even suggests that Polynesians may have willingly explored the east with this knowledge, and “may have welcomed the appearance of such westerly winds in the hurricane-free months, and then used them to explore to the east to find out what islands rise out of the sea in the direction from which the trade winds blow” (Finney, 405). The path of the Lapita is marked by pottery with distinct geometric designs found in more than 200 South Pacific locations, from Papua New Guinea to Samoa (Field Museum). The Theories of Polynesian Migration. Complicating the argument was the myth of a South American origin, advocated by some 19th-century scholars and popularised in the 20th century by the archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl. JSTOR. Perspectives: different points of view or theories about the Polynesian expansion across the Pacific Significance: ... • Students investigate various theories of Polynesian migrations, including those of Thor Heyerdahl, relating to ancient crossings of the Pacific Ocean. (8) An Account of the Polynesian Race: Its Origins and Migrations, and the Ancient History of the Hawaiian People to the Times of Kamehameha I. Abraham Fornander. Le premier s'est produit il y a 50 à 70 000 ans, et a amené des Homo sapiens … While research is still in progress, preliminary results have traced adzes found on Henderson Island clearly to a source on Pitcairn, and one to the Gambier Islands (Weisler 2, 1884). Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories speculate about possible visits to or interactions with the Americas, the indigenous peoples of the Americas, or both, by people from Africa, Asia, Europe, or Oceania at a time prior to Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Caribbean in 1492 (i.e., during any part of the pre-Columbian era). Web. and are clearly associated with the Lapita Cultural Complex. “Our research shows – and this has always been a conundrum – why there was this burst of activity followed by what seems like a cessation of long-distance voyaging,” says Professor Ian Goodwin. Did the people who would become Polynesian occupy the islands and atolls in the region in carefully planned stages or by a series of happy accidents? As shown, there is believable proof that the Maori transmigrated from Polynesia. Woods Hole, MA. While the most obvious wind patterns would seem to contradict the Lapita ancestry model, prehistoric islanders could indeed have sailed west to east if they waited for seasonal or periodic changes. Web. The origins of the Pacific’s diverse peoples can be traced back along seaways to mainland Asia. The common DNA, which is spread across the Pacific, suggests common ancestry of research subjects despite their East-West Pacific divide. The Voyage of the Raft "Kon-tiki"; an Adventurous Inquiry into the Origin of the Polynesians. "Pre-European Polynesia." APPENDIX: FIGURE 2. However, there is evidence of trade and contact among disparate Pacific Island societies, and it is possible that Polynesians may have come in contact with those to both their east and west. Eventually, they reached Australia and New Guinea, which were then connected by a land bridge. La théorie de l’origine amérindienne. Theories about Polynesian origins: When European explorers sailed into the Pacific in the eighteenth century , they were stunned to find so many people living on the thousands of islands they encountered. 2011. in 1994 identified three distinct gene clusters shared by most Polynesians in the study. They reconstructed a double-hulled voyaging canoe in order to test both its seaworthiness and the efficacy of traditional (i.e., noninstrumental) navigation methods over the long ocean routes that Polynesians had once … In Savai ' i within the Polynesian triangle Canoe voyage from Samoa to Tahiti ''. 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