Settlement of Oceania - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

The question of the origin of Océaniens was one of the major topics of research océanienne since the 19th century. So today one has thanks to archeology, linguistics, the ethnolinguistique one, ethnobotanic even genetic research, an about coherent answer to this question, many points remain still outstanding.

Two large waves of settlement

Current research highlighted that there had been at least two waves of settlement but this one does not exclude the assumption from a vague intermediary.

First wave

The arrival of the man in Australia is gone back to at least 40.000 or 45.000 years (generally accepted like a minimum). The maximum can reach 70.000 years. Repeated episodes of Glaciation during the Pléistocène resulted in lowerings of the sea level from 100 to 150 meters.

Then, the insular Southeast Asia was not the unit archipelagic which exists today but constituted a continental shelf, that of Sunda, prolongation in the shape of peninsula of the continent of Asia. The continental shore extended much ahead in the Mer from Timor. Australia and the New Guinea, connected between them by a terrestrial bridge through the sea of Arafura, the Gulf of Carpentarie and the Strait of Torres, formed a single continental mass called Sahul which also included the Tasmanie. Between Sunda and Sahul, an archipelago was which the geographers name Wallacea. One could then go from Sunda in Sahul while not having to traverse more than 100 km of sea.

The human migrations took place towards the end of pleistocene, when the sea level was much lower than today. It is thought that the men started by sailing on the short distance separating the islands from the Probe of Sahul to disperse then through the continent. Archeology revealed a human habitat in the upstream of the Swan River in Western Australia going back approximately 40.000 years. They arrive in Tasmanie, at the time also connected by a terrestrial bridge, approximately 30.000 years ago. It would be remainder the oldest proof of human Navigation on a long distance, with the limit of the visual capacities.

6.000 years ago, with the end of the period of the glaciations, the sea level goes back to its current level, submerging the terrestrial bridge between Australia and New Guinea. The populations of New Guinea, Australia and Tasmanie from now on will experience a separate development. The ancestors of the Papous of New Guinea, at least those of the highlands, will set up a complex system of Horticulture whose first traces go back to 9.000 years ago, that is to say on a date just posterior with those found in Mésopotamie and which one generally indicates like oldest. Contrary, the Aborigènes of Australia will remain hunters-gatherers, the geoclimatic conditions (or the resources huntings) being less favorable to agriculture.

See also: Indigenous of Australia, Papous

The second vagueness

There is 5 000 years (3 000 front J. - C), of the inhabitants of the littoral of the China of the South, farmers of millet and rice, start to cross the strait to settle in Taiwan. Towards 2 000 before J. - C., of the migrations take place of Taiwan towards the Filipino . New migrations start soon of Philippines towards Célèbes and Timor and from there, the other islands of the archipelago Indonesia N. Towards 1 500 av. J. - C., another movement carries out Filipino in New Guinea and beyond that, the islands of the Pacifique. The Austronésiens are undoubtedly the first large navigators of the history of humanity.

These populations austronésiennes which settle in Oceania have another characteristic: they are potters. The father Otto Meyer will be the first to discover these potteries in 1909 on the island of Watom, in the Archipel Bismarck (currently in New Guinea-News Guinea). In 1917, the geologist Maurice Piroutet found of it in his turn in a locality of the north of the New Caledonia called Lapita. This name was retained thereafter by the archeologists to indicate the whole of these potteries and the cultural complex which is associated there, which characterizes a surface active of the New Guinea in the islands Tonga and Samoa. Various building sites of excavations go throughout the 20th century, to put at the day of other specimens of these potteries on all the Western part of the Pacific (or close Oceania), the the Solomon Islands, the Vanuatu, the New Caledonia, the Fiji, Wallis and Futuna until the Samoa.

One of the interrogations concerning these Lapita potteries is their quasi absence in Eastern Polynesia, since archeology could not until today, to discover of it that some shards with the Marquesas Islands. This is why certain researchers evoked the idea that the inhabitants of the distant Oceania would not have passed (or then without being remained there a long time) by what is called traditionally the Mélanésie but more to north by the Filipino and the Micronesia. Separation or clear distinction, between Mélanésiens and Polynésiens, based on the Color of the skin and a degree of culture differentiated was a long time a constant of the scientific research of XIXe and XXe century. Recent research Génétique S nevertheless showed that those which one calls " Polynésiens" and " Mélanésien s" had the same origin.

Another interrogation was to wonder the reason which could push these populations to be inserted always further towards the east, while at the same time winds and dominant currents were contrary for them. First brief reply, that put more than 3.000 years. The archeologists also evoked the possibility that these migratory waves took place only during the periods when the phenomenon El Niño appeared. Lastly, another more pragmatic explanation was advanced these last years. Austronésiens travelled on board dugouts which, according to what one can know by the oral tradition, and certain archaeological or historical evidence, could embark to about fifty passengers. The provisions could be only limited. Thus, while sailing against the wind, they were certain that in the event of failure in the discovery of new grounds to populate to be able to return quickly to good port benefitting this time from a back wind. This theory must nevertheless be modulated according to the experiments led to edge of counterparts. " pahi" went up very badly against the wind but were very at ease with the paces close to the wind to through. Consequently, and taking into account the direction of the dominant winds, the trade wind of SE in particular, one can imagine either of the crossings in zigzags, or of the crossings with 70 or 80% of the wind. Nevertheless according to the New Zealand ethnologist Elsdon Best the wind was not the single means of propulsion of these boats, " although the veils were employed by the navigators maori, to row was the most common method "

The assumption of intermediate migrations (12 000/8 000 B.P.)

Assumptions, not confirmed to date by the scientific research (absence of archaeological traces and convincing linguistic data), evoke the possibility of vague intermediaries. They would be migrations intercalated between the indigenous settlement and the settlement austronésien and from which the populations papoues would go down or of a first wave of migrations austronésiennes before that having begun approximately 4000 years ago.

Techniques of navigation

Very the weak density of grounds in the Pacific makes improbable the success of such voyages. To find an island randomly navigation is largely insufficient. The océaniens developed a science of very fine navigation.

Dugouts

To supplement. Downloadable articles on the subject Hokulea: traditional dugout with double hull, intended to redécouvrir the art of the Polynesian navigation, forgotten in Hawaii.

LEBAR, Franck, " Aspects off canoe and house construction one Truk" * HORNELL, James, " Outrigger-attachments in the Society Islands" * BEST, Eldson, " The Maori canoe" * HAMILTON, Augustus, " Notes there is model canoe from Mangaia"

Ocean navigation

the night the stars are an invaluable reference mark. The navigators organized a star reference mark relay, this “way of stars” undoubtedly asked for a long training as well as an great attention for the pilot.
the race of the sun is usable only part of the day.
the swell like the dominant winds, with the proviso of having a good knowledge of it, become rather stable reference marks of direction. A great number of languages océaniennes testify indeed to this old knowledge. Thus in Rarotongien, raro indicates a wind which blows of is in west (alyzés), tonga , a wind of north, tonga opue a wind of direction south-south-east, tokerau , a wind of north-western direction.

Approaches the islands

Considering the low size of certain islands, to approach some is not sufficient, it still should be found precisely. For this localization “cabotière” the navigators used of a varied range of reference mark.

the presence of birds indicates a ground in the vicinity, according to the species one can evaluate the distance from the ground well before seeing it. Moreover the evening certain species return to ground it is then enough to follow their direction.
the color of the sea can betray the nature of the funds, thus the raising of the funds indicates the proximity of a ground.
In certain islands the interior stretches of water cause a particular evaporation.
the swell becomes deformed with the approach of the obstacles and their continuation.

Invalidated and eccentric theories

Absorbed continent

One of the first explanations given to explain the settlement of Oceania was that of the existence of an absorbed continent, the " Pacifide" , during mythical of Atlantis. Thus Océaniens would be the descendants of the inhabitants of this continent now disappeared from which, there would remain only some emerged tops. One finds for the first time this theory in the naturalist of the third circumnavigation of James Cook, James Forster. It is included thereafter in the work of Belgian J.A. of Moerenhout " Travel to the islands of large the océan" , then at the beginning of the XXe century by Colonel James Churchward. In a work entitled " the continent lost of Driven " this eccentric soldier even will chart this continent which he affublé of a Polynesian name Mu Ra Roa (driven: variety of fish; ruffle: deictic which expresses the distance in time; roa: large). It is indeed frequent in Polynesia to give fish names to islands (cf You ika has Maui, name maori to indicate the island of the North of New Zealand). Always it is that the work will be such a success of sale that the author will publish two continuations of them also translated into French: " children of Mu" , and " secret universe of Mu".

The myth of the lost tribe of Israel

Among the extravagant assumptions of the time, there is also that of " the lost tribe of Israël". We find it for example at the rev. Richard Taylor in a work entitled, " Te Ika has Maui, gold New Zealand and its Inhabitants" (1855), or at a British of the name Godfrey Charles Mundy which remained a few months in New Zealand in the years 1840. This one written, " One says that many of their habits, civil and religious correspond to a remarkable degree with those of the Jews. The features of the face of many Maoris have a strong resemblance to those of the old race, the same eye exorbity and brilliance, the same at the same time coarse and aquiline nose, and the same fine and sensual mouth. (...) Are Maoris downward of one of the lost tribes of Israel? " We of course find in this description all the prototypes of the traditional imagery anti-semite, the " aquiline nose " , " the eye exorbity and brilliance " etc

However, this myth was also asserted by the Maori themselves through the syncretic movement of the " Te Nakahi" whose leaders such as later known Papahurihia under the name of Te Atua Wera or Wero said themselves to go down from Brace. Announced first once in the Bay of the islands in July 1833 then later to Hokianga, the birth of Te Nakahi coincides with the multiplication of the first Maori baptisms. Mixing precepts of the Old Testament and rites ancestral, its followers saw in this filiation with the " Hurai" (Jews in maori), the assertion of an identity put at evil by the missions. This worship was also to thereafter influence in a dominating way the revolt of Hone Heke in the north of the country and the royalist movement maori of the decade 1850, the first king maori Potatau You Wherowhero continuing to go down from last kings d' Israël.

The Indo-European origin of Océaniens

The second great assumption on the origin of the Polynesians (one is interested at the time rather little in Mélanésiens) appears in 1885. It is the work of Abraham Fornander which postulates Indo-European origin of the Polynesians. In volume 3 of " Account off the Polynesian Race" , devoted so that one calls philology then, in other words the study of the languages, it tries to show the existence of coincidences phonetic and syntactic enter the Polynesian languages and the Indo-European languages. We are then with the apogee of the research indo-europeanist which will have the drifts that one knows. The same year 1885 appears another work entitled " Aryan Maori" in which the author Edouard Tregear wants to be even more precise in the demonstration. According to him, an Aryan population installed between the Caspian Sea and the northern slope of the Himalayas would be 4000 years ago divided into two groups. One would have left towards the west to settle in Western Europe, the other towards the South via Persia and India. From there, some of them would have carried on their way more in the east towards the Southeast Asia then the Pacific Islands.

American settlement

In the Fifties of the 20th century, a young Norwegian doctorand , Thor Heyerdahl postulates an Amerindian origin Polynesians. It supports its theory on a certain number of points which for him have force of evidence:

There are first of all reasons of a climatic nature. It was, for these travellers, simpler to follow the dominant winds which in this zone blow of is in west, that of going in their opposition, which would be the case if Océaniens came from Asia.
a certain number of archaeological data also seem to give him reason at first sight. One thus found on South American sites of the lithic tools which point out those of Océaniens.
There is finally the Sweet potato which one finds in all Pacific and whose ethnobotanique one showed the American origin. Moreover, the term Quechua to indicate sweet potato, " qumar" is close to that used in the majority of the languages of Polynesia (" 'umara" in Tahitien, " kumara" in maori, " 'umala" in Samoan etc).

Heyerdahl is also based on the oral traditions of the populations of America and Polynesia.

These arguments tend for the modern scientists to prove that the Polynesians reached the American continent, and not the reverse, of which they thus brought back sweet potato (and the name), because it is easier, curiously, to leave against the wind (what makes it possible to return more easily to the fold if one finds no ground).

One of the principal arguments defended by the opponents with the theory of Heyerdahl was at the time saying that the wood used for the construction of the traditional boats incas was Balsa. However the balsa is a porous wood which is done everything appropriate to the construction of boats intended for the coastal traffic or at least for navigation close to the coasts but surely not for a crossing of several thousands of nautical miles. To answer its detractors, Heyerdahl and some of its partisans whose Bengt Danielson, will try to rejoin the Peru in Tahiti on board a baptized boat the Kon-Tiki. If everyone agrees to say today that there undoubtedly were contacts between Océaniens and the Amerindian populations of the South American continent (because it is highly probable that the Polynesians reached the American continent and not the reverse), nobody calls more into question the fact that the populations of the Pacific are originating in the continent of Asia, which proves the Linguistique, the Génétique of the populations and the ethnobotanic modern ones.

References

Tereraa : Voyages and settlement of the Pacific Islands. /Eric Tells. - Tahiti: Polymages-Scoop editions, 1995. - 43 p.: ill. in coul. 21 cm. ISBN 2-909790-04-5
Bellwood, Peter, The Polynesians: prehistory off year Island People , London: Thames and Hudson, COP. 1978
Bellwood, Peter, The Austronesians , Research School off Pacific and Asian Studies, National Australian University, 1995
Blust, Robert has, Austronesian root theory: year essay one the limits off morphology , Amsterdam; Philadelphia: J. Youngest children, 1988
Blust, Robert has, The Proto-Oceanic palatals , Wellington, N.Z. : Polynesian society, 1978
Clark, G.R., Lapita dispersal in Oceania , Books Pandanus, 2002
Kirch, Patrick Vinton, “the colonization of the Pacific”, in Research n° 220, flight 21.
Kirch, Patrick Vinton, The Lapita peoples: ancestors off the oceanic world, Cambridge, Farmhouse: Blackwell Publishers, 1997
Navis Christian, Mysterious ages of the Pacific , Editions Harmattan, 2006
Noury, Arnaud, the Reflection of the heart lapita, archeology of the lapita in Oceania , Noury (ED.), Versailles, 2005
Sand, Christophe, Lapita: collection of potteries of the site of Foué , Noumea: Department Archeology, territorial Service of the museums and the inheritance, 1997
Sand, Christophe, the beginning of the settlement austronésien of New Caledonia: archaeological data , Noumea: Department of archeology, territorial Service of the museums and the inheritance of New Caledonia, 1996
Sand, Christophe Kirch, Patrick Vinton, the archaeological forwarding of Edward W. Gifford and Richard Shutler Jr in New Caledonia during the year 1952 , Noumea: Department archeology, Service of the museums and the inheritance of New Caledonia, 2002
Toullelan P.Y., Gille, Bernard, Of the Conquest to the exodus , Volume 1, Papeete.1999
Zheng, Chantal (1959-….), austronésiens of Taiwan: through the Chinese sources , Paris: ED. Harmattan, 1995

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