LESSON 11.10 Review 11.10.1
Key knowledge summary Use this dot point summary to review the content covered in this topic. 11.2 How do we know about the Polynesian expansion across the Pacific?
• Understanding the history of Polynesia is difficult because of the lack of written sources. • Some physical sources have survived, but due to the materials they are made of, they’re difficult to find. • It’s important to keep in mind the colonial (mainly European) perspective that comes from written sources. Referring to Polynesian communities using their traditional names can help remove this bias. 11.3 Exploring the Polynesian Triangle • The Polynesian Triangle is a large area of the Pacific Ocean, over 2 000 000 square kilometres, where island communities have formed. • There are more than 20 000 islands, some of which are very small, in the area explored by these settlers. • The people of Polynesia used their advanced understanding of seafaring to navigate to new islands and settle there. • Movement across the Pacific spanned 10 000 BCE to 1500 CE. 11.4 What happened on Rapa Nui? • Rapa Nui is also called Easter Island and is the furthest east of all Polynesian settlements. • Rapa Nui is covered with mo’ai, enormous stone statues depicting former ariki (chiefs). Many of these standon ahu , stone platforms near the ocean. • The population and plant life of Rapa Nui was in decline when it was visited by European explorers. This could have been due to overuse of the forests, conflict between people, or the introduction of rats by the earliest settlers. 11.5 What was life like in Hawai’i? • Settlers could have arrived in Hawai’i as early as the third century CE, and were later invaded by people from Otaheite (modern Tahiti) in 1300 CE. • The people of Hawai’i called themselves the K̄anaka Maoli and had a very rigid caste system. • It is very unlikely that people arrived in Hawai’i accidentally. In 1976, the H̄ok̄ule‘a , a wa’a kaulua (double-hulled canoe) built in the traditional style, made the voyage from Hawai’i to Tahiti and back, demonstrating that it was not only possible but likely that they planned to make the trip. • The people of Hawai’i were experts at fishing and established fish ponds to effectively and sustainably farm fish. 11.6 Who were the people of Aotearoa? • Between 800 and 1130, a group of settlers arrived from K̄uki ’̄Airani (the Cook Islands) to the coast of what would become Aotearoa. These people became known as the M̄aori. • The M̄aori named their land Aotearoa , meaning ‘the land of the long white cloud’ because of the cloud that helped them find the land. • The M̄aori, like many other Polynesian cultures, used wood to carve depictions of stories and express religious beliefs, myths, and images of gods. • M̄aori people lived in communal villages. Property was communally owned and they relied on their ability to farm to build larger and more permanent settlements. • The M̄aori traded many goods, but pounamu (greenstone) was the most valuable. It was found on Te Wai Pounamu (South Island).
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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