Polynesia

Examples of Polynesia in the following topics:

• The Rise of Pacific Cultures

  • The ancestors of modern-day Pacific Cultures came to the regions of Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, and Melanesia in two distinct waves, from 38,000 BCE to 1500 BCE.
  • The area is often broken down into four separate regions: Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, and Melanesia.
  • Dating from about 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, they are thought to be the ancestors of the modern day cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and some parts of Melanesia.

• Crafts in the Cook Islands

  • The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean.
  • The Islands form one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia.
  • Much of Polynesia, including the original settlers of Hawaii, Tahiti, Rapa Iti, and Easter Island, was settled by Marquesans who were believed to have departed from the Marquesas as a result of overpopulation and drought-related food shortages.
  • Much of the rest of Polynesia was colonized by Marquesan descendants centered in Tahiti.

• Enduring Cultures

  • The theory of pre-Columbian contact across the South Pacific Ocean between South America and Polynesia has received support from several lines of evidence, although solid confirmation remains elusive.
  • A 2007 paper published in PNAS put forward DNA and archaeological evidence that domesticated chickens had been introduced into South America via Polynesia by late pre-Columbian times.

• Samoa

  • The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in Polynesia, Savai'i.

• Pre-European Hawaiian Art

  • It is similar to tapa found elsewhere in Polynesia, but it differs in the methods used in its creation.

• Pacific Arts Festival

  • In 2008, about 2,000 artists attended the Festival of Pacific Arts from the following participating countries: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Sāmoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

• Stonework on Easter Island

  • Easter Island has one of the richest collections of petroglyphs in all Polynesia, with over 4,000 petroglyphs cataloged.

• Elements of Nature

  • Indigenous peoples of India, Malaysia, Polynesia, North Africa, North America, and South America may have worshiped megalith stones or used them to symbolize a spirit or deity.

• The Expansion of Europe

  • In addition to the travel and settlement of the Vikings in North America over 500 years before Columbus, several theories have been proposed of extensive trade and travel to the Americas dating back thousands of years by Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Polynesia.