Informative Speech On Polynean Navigators

Who first discovered, explored and settled in the pacific

Namaskaram and Ni sa bula vinaka. Sincere greeting to Miss Betty. I would like to welcome you on the journey of who first discovered, explored and settled the pacific island.

The Pacific Ocean which is the largest ocean in the earth, covering 165.2 million square km. larger than all the lands combined. “over 1000 years ago, the islands of Polynesia were explored and settled by the navigators who used only the waves, the stars and the flights of birds for guidance” (Irwin, 1987). Hence, looking at the world’s maritime history, it can be said that the most successful navigators and the successful types of ships are the Polynesian sea going canoe and the Polynesian navigators. Thus a race

of the explorers, contoured the pacific long before the Europeans. Reflecting on Mau Piailug, who was the last navigator from island of Satawi in Micronesian. He sailed in a Polynesian canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976. Without the benefits of modern navigational instruments. He had ingenious methods, called Etak to estimate the distance, his position and to navigate. Hence, the traditional way of navigating used the national science that would be the havens, stars, moons to guide the canoe. Therefore, when the early European first came in contact with the Polynesian in the pacific island they could not believe that the Polynesians could travel in simple sailing canoe, with no navigating instruments discover and settle the pacific islands. Therefore, I believe that our ancients were amazing and had unbelievable knowledge which they should be praised for.

Fig 1: Navigators used stars, moons and the havens to guide them
Furthermore, the world’s first sailors from south East Asia, sailing on simple rafts landed on the pacific. According to the encyclopedia of New Zealand, “the Pacific Ocean was one of the first ocean to be explored and New Zealand was the last to be settled” (Irwin, 2015). The two period of settlement by the sailors were firstly, from 50000 to 25000 BC people traveled from Asia to Oceania (including Australia, Solomon and New Guinea). Secondly, from 1200 BC, they sailed on canoes towards the east into the remote ocean (such as Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia). Adding on, during 1200 and 1000BC, the lapita people were the first people to reach the remote Oceania and spread to the west Polynesia including Samoa and Tonga. Therefore, about 5000 years ago the future Polynesian traveled from their Asian homes due to population pressures. They had moved to the Fijian islands, then eastwards to Samoa and Tonga. Afterwards, they traveled to Tahiti and then to French Polynesia. The navigators then sailed north to the Hawaii islands, 2000 years ago, south to Easter Island and Finally to New Zealand. A research conducted in the national research center for growth and development stated that, “Polynesia is defined as the island found roughly in a triangle form by Hawaii, Aotearoa- New Zealand and Easter Island- Rapa Nui” (Denny & Smith, 2010).
Moving on, the Polynesian traveled on double hull canoe to explore, for survival, to spread their culture and they also transported or carried with them the plants and animals to their new homes.

The canoe was very important to the Polynesian since without the use of canoes they will not be able to expand. Let us now focus on the linguistic evidence of human contact between South America and Polynesia. The evidence found are as follows: the sweet potatoes, an indigenous plant to the South America were found in Polynesia. Another evidence found is the DNA of the animals which stated, “Determining the genetic origin of the animals and plants that are known to be in association with the human settlement in the pacific” (Smith & Robin, 2004). Thus, the animals cannot travel from one place to another unless they have been brought my humans. These animals include rats, pigs, dogs and chickens. Therefore, “the Polynesian traveled eastwards across the tropic pacific to the remote Oceania and they carried with them the domesticated plants, animals to survive in their new islands” (Denny & Smith, 2010). Thus, the Polynesian food including, taro, yam, sugarcane and the animals (like pigs, chicken and dogs) that had come from the Asian side of the pacific.

Moreover, the linguistic evidence states that the navigators had travelled in a triangle form. “Cultural and linguistic evidence further supports the west to east migration pattern, with striking similarities observed across the Polynesian

triangle”. (Low & Estus, 2014).

Fig 2: Navigators travelled in a triangle form to the pacific
Triangle covers three island groups at the corners, Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand. Henceforth, the “the first human settlers of remote Oceania are associated with the Lapita culture, which appeared in the Bismarck Archipelago in near ocean around 3500BP. (an archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands formed from volcanic activities” (Denny & Smith, 2010).
Finally to sum up the reflective writing, the navigators who explored and settle the pacific had amazing knowledge about the navigating without the use of modern technology such as GPS and the modern navigating ships. They used their tradition knowledge of stars, moons and havens guiding them. Captain James cook one of the great explorers documented the Polynesian have intentionally explored and settled in their islands without the aid of nearby southern continent and Spanish ships. Hence, the best navigators in the world are the Polynesian navigators.