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Pacific Migration

The exploration and settlement of the Pacific is probably one area of human history the is forever likely to remain a mystery. It has taken place over the course of many tens of thousands of years was not documented in any written form and the oral traditions have taken on the aspect of myths and legends.

Even scientific investigation is likely to be severely hampered. Not only is the area tectonically active, i.e. prone to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami it has also undergone a considerable change in sea-level in the timeframe under investigation. All of these events have probably conspired to destroy or forever hide much needed evidence. The excerise of unravelling the story is further complicated by the nature of the artifacts the cultures in question produced, and their interaction with the climate. By and large most items were made from wood and plant fibres, with very little being produced from stone or pottery and even less made of metal (and this was highly localised). Products made from vegetable matter tend not to survive very long in the hot, damp conditions associated with this part of the world, making the acquisition of historical and archeological artifacts even harder.

It is thought that the first wave of migrants ventured into Papua New Guinea about 50,000 years ago. This coincides with a reduction in sea-level to a point where it was some 200 metres lower than it is today. This meant that only a short ocean going trip would have been required to pass between the Asian continent of Sunda and the Austro-New Guiean landmass of Sahul.

Around 4,500 years ago the first traces of a new wave of migrants appears, in the form of Lapita pottery. Thermoluminescent dating of the pottery fragments found so far allows the following route to be constructed.

Taking this chronology as a starting point and modifying it for obvious discrepencies it seems reasonable to develop the following itinerary for the Lapita people: Papua New Guinea - The Solomons - Vanuatu and New Guinea. From here they ventured on to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

Less is known about the population of Micronesia but it is assumed that it was as a result of a migration from coastal Asia to the Philipines and then out into the Pacific Ocean.

Then a second wave spread through Polynesia, starting either from the Asian mainland or from Melanesia and Micronesia, thrust further east and spread to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. From Samoa the Marquesas were colonised. A wave of exploration appears to have taken place from the Marquesas with the Cook Islands, Society Islands, Austral Islands, New Zealand, Hawaii and finally the Easter Islands being populated.

It appears that there was a third wave of migration, perhaps originating in the Indo-China and the Yunan area of China and refered to as the Dong-son after the area in Vietnam where the culture was first identified. This appears to have passed through Melanesia, into Micronesia and then onto Polynesia and can be traced by certain design motifs.