LESSON 11.2 How do we know about the Polynesian expansion across the Pacific? LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to explain, using source material, what we know about Polynesian culture and expansion across the Pacific.
Tune in Finding an artefact such as a waka (canoe) gives us great insight into the technology of ancient Polynesians. They used stone tools to shape out logs and carefully combined these together. Imagine that you are an archaeologist from the future examining something from the room around you (i.e. a phone, a pen, a water bottle). What could examining the object help you better understand or deduce about the technology of today?
SOURCE1 A waka taua (war canoe) in an exhibition at the Whanganui Regional Museum in New Zealand
11.2.1 How do we know about Polynesian expansion? The indigenous people of the Pacific travelled incredible distances to settle new lands. This ocean covers nearly one-third of the world’s surface. Between 1500 BCE and 1000 CE, they settled most of the habitable land in this vast ocean. They developed unique languages, societies and cultures. There are many sources that tell us about the people of the Pacific, such as myths, legends, carvings, jewellery, tools and pottery. Their language, beliefs and tattoos also remain as evidence of their identity and culture. Before written records Early Polynesian history has no written records, so archaeological research is vital. Through surviving evidence, historians develop theories about what happened. As new evidence is found, theories are updated. Pottery left behind by early Polynesians provides important information about their expansion. The Lapita people (who originated in East Asia and Taiwan) arrived in the Pacific over 3000 years ago. Their distinctive pottery shows their movements through the Solomon Islands and into the wider Pacific. They settled many islands over the centuries, including the Marquesas Islands, Tuamotus Islands, Society Islands, Easter Island and Hawai’i. Their travels covered immense distances, such as the distance between Tahiti and Hawai’i, which is greater than that between North America and Europe.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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