Polynesian Culture and History

A quote from "Polynesia In Early Historic Times" by Douglas Oliver - "About 3,300 years ago one or more canoe loads of Pacific Islanders, males and females, set out in an easterly direction from southern Melanesia in search of new homelands. The reasons for their exspeditions are not known: perhapls defeat in warfare, perhaps food shortage through overpopulation or natural disaster, perhaps hope for more fruitful lands---or perhaps adventurous curiosity for what lay beyond the sunrise horizon."

The Polynesians came, and came. They navigated, explored, migrated and colonized over 20,000 islands throughout the Pacific, an area 1/3 of the earths surface. All this thousands of years before the more widely known European explorers. With them, they brought their cultures, gods and technogies eventually forming a robust, colorful, and  productive societies on islands from Hawaii in the north, to Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the southwest, to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the southeast.

This blog, including much of my Facebook postings, is dedicated to these wonderful, resourceful and intrepid people, the Polynesians. Please share your experiences and knowledge of this great culture.