SYNTHESIS OF THE SETTLEMENT IN THE POLYNESIAN TRIANGLE

The first migrants originated from southern China and their descendants spread in successive waves thru out the Pacific for a period of over 50,000 years. Following are some indications to locate in time and space these waves of migration

• 50,000 BC: During the last Ice Age the level of the sea was 150 meters lower than today. Southeast Asia, Borneo, Java, the Philippines, Australia and the islands of Fiji and Salomon were all accessible by foot which explains the presence of the Melanesians who were not men of the sea nor knowledgeable in navigation. The center of their territory extended as far as New Guinea, currently Papua.

• 10,000 BC: Temperatures rise, icebergs melt and the level of the sea goes up 50 meters thereby isolating Australia, Tasmania and other land areas. The archipelagos of China, Japan and the Celebes appear at this time, The first traces of agriculture go back 8000 years, a period when these land areas were well populated.

• 4000 BC: Taiwan is separated from China by the present strait of Taiwan. The Chinese first venture out to sea, from the continental mainland, in their outrigger canoes to attain the islands in the Strait of Taiwan. Gradually, as they become more experienced in navigation, they sailed as far as the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea, still in their outrigger canoes. They carried with them tubers and rhizomes (taro, yams, multiple variety of bananas…) which, during the ice-age in their region, had not disappeared. These same people, originally from the south of China, extended their horizons and branched out to eventually reach Madagascar, the islands of Polynesia and remote Easter Island. The outrigger canoe is found in all these places plus along with a number of cultural similarities and related languages belonging to the Austronesian family.

• 2000 BC: Melanesians from the islands of Fiji, Tonga, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea cohabitate with the Austronesians and gradually form the “proto-Polynesians”.

• 1500 BC: These proto-Polynesians, now also referred to belonging to the Lapita culture, leave Fiji for Tonga and Samoa where they establish strong and well organized societies.

• 500 BC: The Proto-Polynesians, now Polynesians, continued to voyage and reached the Marquesas and from there dispersed south to the Society Islands, north to Hawaii, south east to Easter Island and south west to New Zealand (probably from the Society Islands).