<
https://theconversation.com/the-real-mystery-behind-moana-after-1-700-years-why-did-polynesians-suddenly-sail-east-287226>
"The same question drives both the plot of
Moana and decades of
archaeological research: why, after centuries of relative stability, did
Polynesian voyagers suddenly begin settling islands thousands of kilometres
away across the Pacific?
The latest
Moana movie is a live-action adaptation of a Disney animated movie
of the same name. While the films are fictional, they draw inspiration from the
rich seafaring heritage of Polynesian peoples, whose ancestors undertook one of
the greatest episodes of maritime exploration in human history.
New climate evidence may help us understand why they embarked on these voyages.
The backdrop to
Moana is the mystery of the “long pause”. This was a period
when Polynesian ancestors, the Lapita people, sailed east into the Pacific as
far as the island archipelagos of Samoa and Tonga, arriving around 3,000 years
ago. They brought with them distinct pottery styles and an island-based
culture.
Yet, for the next 1,700 years, there was little voyaging further east.
Archaeological evidence suggests that populations in Tonga and Samoa grew and
developed their own distinct post-Lapita culture.
Then, between 900 and 1100 AD, ancestral Polynesians suddenly undertook a
massive phase of eastward migration. Over the next century, voyagers in huge
double-hulled sailing canoes reached Hawai’i, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Rapa
Nui (Easter Island). The spread of sweet potatoes around Pacific islands
indicate they probably made contact with the continental Americas too.
When European navigators finally arrived centuries later, they were astonished
to find even the smallest atolls peopled by communities sharing deep cultural
and linguistic commonalities."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
