MEET THE… Polynesians
The movement of peoples caused environmental and linguistic effects. In particular, the maritime migrations of the
Polynesian peoples transplanted foods and domesticated animals as they moved to new islands.
HIGHLIGHTS:
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CLAIM TO FAME: Diffusion of YAMS, PIGS, & LANGUAGE in Pacific
CHRONOLOGY: 1000 BCE – 1250 CE
ORIGIN: from islands of Southeast Asia
Beginning around 200 BCE, the Polynesian people began a major expansion and by approximately 1000 CE, settlers had explored and settled all corners of the South Pacific, achieving
astonishing feats of long-distance navigation. At their furthest extent, they reached New Zealand and Easter Island, and established a diverse range of cultures, making the Polynesians the
most widely dispersed ethnic group of the time.
Having likely originated from Taiwan, the Polynesian migration was part of a broader expansion of the Austronesian language group. One branch of Austronesians sailed to the east
coast Africa bringing with it the domesticated banana – in part responsible for more calories and population growth in Africa. At roughly the same time that the Bantu migrated to eastern
Africa , the banana was introduced to eastern Africa. With cloudy origins, it is most likely that the banana was introduced from across the Indian Ocean as an outgrowth of Polynesian
migrations. Highly productive, the banana would have transformed the forests of Africa allowing must higher population densities than from the more modest yam.
The other branch of the Austronesian expansion brought Polynesian peoples, yams, taro, coconut, pigs, and chicken to the islands of the Pacific. Excellent navigators, they used
outrigger canoes to traverse great distances. To guide them, they used the stars, birds, winds, and currents to settle nearly every islands of the Pacific. Their polytheism and maritime
roots deeply shaped the cultures of the Pacific, establishing chiefdoms and horticultural economies that developed impressive population densities and exchange – especially in New
Zealand and Hawaii. Yet, their relative isolation from the global network led to the decimation of most populations as Europeans arrived in the 19th century with small pox.