Mystery of the Pacific Ocean

The Europeans' "discovery" of the Pacific Island began in the 16th century as they groped their way eastward from around the Cape of Good Hope, or westward from around Cape Horn.


But what they found were island cultures that had existed for a long time, complete with royal hierarchies and elaborate ceremonies: complex societies with long histories.


Captain Cook was one of the first to wonder: just how did they get there? And when?

The story of the first settlers of the Pacific Islands has gradually emerged, thanks to the efforts of many archaeologists, agronomists, oceanographers and even linguists. And of many present day Polynesian people who are delving into their past and recording information for the future generations of island people.


In this blog I will record what has been learned about these early explorers whom we now know began an extraordinary journey from Southern China, back in the Stone Age.


It's a story that has to be told.

Monday, November 5, 2012

It is now known that Stone Age people from Asia began a slow migration southward some 6000 years ago, and eventually moved out across the South Pacific Ocean.


Stone Age people?  The Stone Age lasted for a long time back, and the Late Stone Age lasted from 50,000 BC to around 2000 BC when metals came into use.


They travelled through many lands and learned to cross vast distances of empty ocean.   How could they possibly do that?

Surely, we may think, weren't early humans fairly dumb, not as clever as us, lacking in technologies, with just basic survival skills?  How could they possibly undertake such a huge adventure?

But we have to remember, our Late Stone Age forebears did some remarkable things:
  • They built the Pyramids of Giza - about 4500 years ago
  • They built Stonehenge - about 4500 yrs. ago
  • They built Machu Pichu - about 3500 yrs. ago
So they must have had great intelligence, if not modern technologies.  And they could obviously undertake vast projects; things that we would find difficult to do today.  Not so dumb!

It seems to me that our species has always been intelligent and resourceful, and they pushed the boundaries of the technologies of the time to do remarkable things.

The exploration and settling of the vast Pacific Ocean islands is one such story.
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