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Paul Gaugin's art demonstrates how Polynesian culture impacted Western art 

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Paul Gaugin's art demonstrates how Polynesian culture impacted Western art 

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Paul Gaugin is still renown for his paintings like the one shown above, which can been seen in important government offices and around the world today. Gaugin wanted to capture an untouched culture in his artwork, He was also captivated by the Polynesian culture, While we may enjoy looking at his artwork it's also important to note the background of his paintings. In his paintings of women most appear distant with their face concealing a story we never get to hear. These paintings and Gaugin are an example of how Polynesian culture has had an impact on western art and society, it also demonstrates how a diminishing culture has been taken for granted by Westerners.

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The story of the Polynesian cultural center which explores the background of Polynesian culture 

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The story of the Polynesian cultural center which explores the background of Polynesian culture 

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In this video we can see how tourism is a large part of Polynesian society today, This video shows the Polynesian cultural center and how it is a way to support the economy of these islands while also keeping their culture alive. we can see various examples of Polynesian culture like dance and woven crafts along with the many ties to the ocean life that Polynesian cultures have large ties too. Throughout the video we can see that throughout history the progression of western tourism to Polynesian islands has led to the globalization of Polynesian culture.

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"BEYOND THE DREAM~ The Story of the Polynesian Cultural Center”

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This article explores how the key aspects of Polynesian culture have been largely affected by modern technology, The demands of the worlds economy and the impact of Western ideologies whether it be politics or religion. In this article you can see the efforts of the Polynesian people to be recognized for how their culture has benefited Western society. In the picture above they made a replica of an ancient canoe and sailed out using the same navigation techniques as their ancestors only passed own by word. in order to prove the effect and extent of their navigational accomplishments, and this proved that the successful voyages in the past were not random occurrences but large navigational accomplishments.

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Hokulea: The Rediscovery | Polynesians: An Oceanic People | European Explorers | Linguistic Evidence/Oral Traditions | Heyerdahl and Sharp | The Archaeological Response | Experimental Voyaging | Introduction

Hokule'a, the recreated Polynesian sea-faring canoe. (Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.)

In 1973, Ben Finney and a group of Polynesian specialists and canoe enthusiasts formed the Polynesian Voyaging Society to build a large voyaging canoe to attempt the Hawai'i - Tahiti round-trip in order to test the feasibility of making long-distance, navigated voyages in a voyaging canoe guided solely by traditional navigation. The canoe, christened Hokule'a, which is Hawaiian for the bright star Arcturus that passes directly over the island of Hawai'i, was launched in l975. Other than the findings at Huahine, journal notes and illustrations from early European expeditions, and verbal information from chants and legends, there was little evidence to help determine the actual size and shape of the ancient voyaging canoes. Furthermore, the lack of traditional materials and skills in modern Hawai'i meant that the canoe had to be partially built of modern materials. Archaeologists, maritime historians, and anthropologists collaborated on the design of a vessel that would simulate an ancient craft in shape, weight, and performance. Because no Polynesians knew how to navigate in the ancient manner, Mau Piailug, a traditional navigator from the Caroline Islands of Micronesia, was chosen to guide the canoe. His method of navigating by the stars and swells was closely similar to extinct Polynesian methods.
Navigator Mau Piailug used the rising points of the stars, supplemented by observations of the sun, moon, and ocean swells, as a natural compass to guide the canoe. Even when days of solid cloud cover hid the stars, sun, and moon from sight, Mau was able to keep the canoe on course and keep in his mind an accurate picture of the canoe's progress toward Tahiti. And, obligingly, small, white fairy terns skimming over the sea, told Mau that HOKULE'Athe atoll of Mataiva, just to the north-northwest of Tahiti, was near before it could actually be seen. Once this atoll had been reached, it was easy to orient the canoe for the short sail to Tahiti.

The fact that the canoe sailed from Hawai'i to Tahiti and back, and that Mau had been able to navigate to Tahiti without instruments, effectively demonstrated how Polynesian canoes and traditional navigational methods were up to the task of planned, long-distance voyaging. This voyage served to turn the tide against the Sharp hypothesis of accidental voyaging, and to develop a new appreciation for voyaging canoes and traditional ways of navigation.

As significant as these findings are to revising our view of Polynesian prehistory, the unique feature of this project has been the degree and character of the participation of Polynesians. Not only have hundreds of Hawaiians and other Polynesians sailed on Hokule'a, but in seeking to rediscover their maritime heritage they have greatly expanded the anthropological significance of the project. It was primarily the Hawaiians who, searching to rediscover their own maritime roots, took the lead in the project by extending the experimental approach far beyond the initial voyage of 1976. In so doing, they have provided realistic information on sailing over a number of legendary voyaging routes in Polynesia, which has served to greatly enhance the understanding of the discovery and settlement of the islands.

That modern Polynesians have taken the lead in demonstrating the capabilities inherent in the technology and methods of their ancestors is doubly fitting, for not only do they have the desire and talent for voyaging, but they stand to benefit most by this effort to reestablish the deserved nautical reputation of their ancestors. Assisted by their Micronesian teacher and advisor, Mau Piailug , who recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hawai'i for his efforts to revive Polynesian seafaring knowledge, the Hawaiians, Marquesans, Tahitians, Cook Islanders, Maori, Tongans, and Samoans who have sailed Hokule'a around Polynesia have been instrumental in changing scientific perceptions of their migratory past, and have brought to their fellow Polynesians a renewed pride in their heritage as oceanic voyagers.

The complex cultures of ancient Polynesia are largely gone. The incursions of modern technology, the demands of the world economy, and the impingement of foreign ideologies - religious, political or otherwise, have radically altered once integrated and largely self-sufficient societies. In some parts of Polynesia, the transformation from the old order is more complete, particularly in Hawai'i and New Zealand, where Polynesians are minorites in their own land.

Many contemporary Polynesians seem to be culturally adrift, neither fully participant in the modern cultures which have engulfed them, nor firmly anchored to even a memory of the ancient ways of life that once sustained their people. In this situation, the reconstruction and sailing of ancient voyaging canoes becomes more than adventurous and anthropologically-fruitful excursions into the past. These projects become ways culturally-uprooted Polynesians can themselves rediscover the means by which their islands were discovered and settled, indeed their ancient cultural heritage as a uniquely oceanic people. That is why the Hokule'a project so captured the Hawaiian imagination, and why its passage through Polynesian seas has so excited Tahitians, Cook Islanders, New Zealand Maori, and other islanders. In fact, Hokule'a has not sailed alone in those seas. Not only has the project spawned a veritable renaissance in Hawaiian sailing canoes, but it has inspired Tahitians and New Zealand Maori to reconstruct their own voyaging canoes and sail them over legendary sea routes.

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Wayfinders : Polynesian History and Origin

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Hokulea: The Rediscovery | Polynesians: An Oceanic People | European Explorers | Linguistic Evidence/Oral Traditions | Heyerdahl and Sharp | The Archaeological Response | Experimental Voyaging | Introduction Hokule'a, the recreated Polynesian sea-faring canoe. (Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.)

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How Polynesian tribes introduced surfing to the world 

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How Polynesian tribes introduced surfing to the world 

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Although surfing may not be a groundbreaking invention, it has created a community that spread globally. This article is an example of the globalization of surfing and how this reflects on the way that Polynesian culture has had a large effect on Western culture.

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From The
Blog

Updated: December 1, 2023

Do you know what sport was invented in Hawaii? You might already have an idea, but we'll go into detail as to how and why it's such an integral part of daily life in Hawaii.

Surfing has existed in one form or another for several centuries. We can trace its origins back to Polynesia. Modern surfing takes place anywhere people can catch waves. It wasn't always just a recreational activity. We can't pinpoint the exact origins, but we can infer a lot from what we know.

What we are confident about: surfing had a kind of religious significance in Polynesian culture. It was not merely a sport-it was an entire way of life. Tahitians and Samoans even used it as a way to train their warriors for battle. It is not precisely the chill, easy-going vibe that we associate with surfing today.

Regardless of how you approach surfing as part of your life, its history and origins are part of what makes it such a beautiful and unique sport. Read on to learn a bit more about how surfing came to be, how it developed into what it is today, and all of the steps it took along the way.

When Was Surfing Invented?

The earliest evidence of surfing history can be traced back to 12th century Polynesia. Cave paintings have been found which clearly illustrate ancient versions of surfing. Along with many other aspects of their culture, the Polynesians brought surfing to Hawaii, and it became popular from there.

Though it is impossible to say precisely when the first instance of surfing happened, we know that it was hundreds of years ago. Polynesian culture is tied to ocean life, and ancient Polynesians were comfortable in the water. Whether canoeing, swimming, or surfing, the ocean was integral to how the lived.

So what hard evidence do we have about when surfing was first discovered? One of the most famous written accounts of surfing is the diary of European captain James Cook who witnessed Tahitian surfers in 1778. He and his crew were shocked to see men riding the waves on planks on wood.

James Cook's diary provided readers with lots of valuable information about sailing in the Pacific. Still, the Europeans had never seen anything like surfing. They were even worried about the surfers because they expected the waves to throw them on jagged rocks near the shore.

Of course, those Tahitian surfers came from a culture where everyone knew how to hold their own in the water. The men jumped off their boards before reaching the rocks, and even smiled while doing it. For them, it was just another day of sunshine and surf.

"I could not help concluding, that this man felt the most supreme pleasure, while he was driven on, so fast and so smoothly, by the sea."
Captain James Cook

While we can only make estimates about when the first human put a piece of wood in the water and rode the waves, we do know a lot about how the board was used. Many stories say that the selection of a chief in a Polynesian tribe was based on who could surf the best. That's a lot of pressure to improve.

To summarize, we can infer that the sport is as old as the 12th century (maybe older), but it was definitely in full swing within Polynesian culture by the 18th century. From there, it would go from being a high-stakes test of athletic prowess to the chill, carefree sport we know as surfing today.

What Is the Birthplace of Surfing?

Ancient Polynesia is the undisputed birthplace of surfing, and nowhere is this story more prominent than the islands of Hawaii.

Imagine asking any random person, "What is Hawaii best known for?" Beaches, aloha shirts, ukuleles, and surfing would be the most popular answers, without a doubt.

Although most evidence points to surfing's Polynesian origins, there was also some debate that Pre-Incan civilizations may have beat them to it. However, this was later debunked because these watercraft more closely resemble stand up paddleboards than surfboards.

Other evidence in favor of this has to do with their cultural ties to the sport. If you have ever spent a day paddling out on a board, you know that it can be an exhausting endurance test. So it comes as no surprise that Polynesian warriors used it as a means of fitness training.

Because surfing requires so much fitness and strength, it was also used as the way to determine who would serve as chief in primitive Hawaiian tribes.

These days athletes surf for fun, bragging rights, or professional sponsorship. Back then, you could have been made a ruler if you managed to prove yourself.

Who Invented Surfing?

Since we have no way of knowing exactly when the first attempted surf session was, we are also in the dark about who had the idea in the first place. We can infer that the creator of surfing was of Polynesian origin, but even that's just speculation.

Sorry, but that's the closest answer we have got!

While our information about the first surfer is limited, we can do the next best thing and follow history to see who brought the sport to life. When European settlers first came to Hawaii, surfing lost a lot of its edge. Hawaiian locals were steered away from surfing, and the Christian settlers shunned it entirely.

Still, surfing was such an essential part of Hawaiian culture that people never stopped doing it entirely. If there were waves to catch, the locals weren't about to let the Europeans ruin their good time. Around the end of the 19th century, tourism began to develop, and surfing started to make a huge comeback.

People from all over the world started to notice how awesome surfing is, and this was fantastic for Hawaiian tourism. One of the most prominent early players in modern surfing was Duke Kahanamoku. Born in 1890, "The Duke" was one of the best surfers of his time and also an accomplished Olympic swimmer.

Once Duke's fame as an athlete reached a certain point, he decided to go on a world tour to showcase his skills and spread the love of surfing. From California to Australia, he traveled, surfed, and caught the eyes of thousands of eager spectators. He single-handedly popularized the Hawaiian surf tradition.

While we can't say that The Duke invented surfing, surfing was a massive part of his legacy, and his influence played a pivotal role in the history of surfing.

Thanks to his enthusiasm and athleticism, the sport gained more attention than ever before. If anyone in surf history deserves the title of "The Father of Surfing," it is him.

How Did Surfing Become Popular?

In hindsight, it seems like a strange question to ask. How could something as amazing as surfing not be popular!? Still, surfing didn't become a sensation overnight. Once surfing starting to emerge as a sport, there were a few key factors that made it into a global hit.

Due to the oppression that European settlers imposed on the Hawaiians, surfing was heavily discouraged during the 19th century. This resulted in a widespread lack of enthusiasm toward it, and this time is referred to as the "dark age" in the history of surfing. Still, it never entirely died out, and people continued to do it.

Hawaiian tourism starting to pick up in the late 1800s, and lots of people traveled to the islands to take a crack at surfing. As interest in surfing increased, notable authors like Jack London and Mark Twain even gave it a try. It was like everyone wanted a piece of this exciting "new" sport.

Duke Kahanamoku (mentioned previously) also did a lot to spread surfing's reputation in both the United States and Australia. As surfing superstars started to emerge over the years, it became a professional sport around 1960. Once the wave of interest in surfing picked up, it became an unstoppable sensation.

Throughout the 1960s, surfing continued to become increasingly huge thanks to media exposure. Bands like The Beach Boys lent their unique sound to writing music that was all about surf, sun, and spreading the good vibes that surfing is so well-known for.

This popularity did a lot to help the growth of the West Coast surf scene, and it also made Americans even more fascinated with Hawaii. After Hawaii became a state in 1959, the tourists came in waves (pun strongly intended) to ride the swells off the Hawaiian coast.

From there, things continued to grow correspondingly. Surfing is now popular all over the world, and it is done anywhere people can catch a decent wave. Hundreds of tourists still flock to Hawaii each year to get a piece of the surf action in the part of the world where it was created.

What Role Did Surfing Play in Hawaiian Culture and History?

The word "surf" in Hawaiian is he'e nalu, which loosely translates to "sliding on a wave."

It is no surprise that the first surfers came from a society that had a robust connection to the water. However, for ancient Polynesians, surfing was more than just a fun way to pass the time. It was way more serious for them back then compared to how we view the sport today.

For instance, there was a staggering difference between the upper class and the lower class in their culture. This division meant that all aspects of society were predetermined by the code of kapu (their laws). The code predetermined all aspects, including how to grow food, where you can eat it, and even where you are allowed to surf.

Naturally, the chiefs and upper-class society members picked the best breaks for themselves. The commoners also had areas where they could surf too, but it was strictly taboo for them to venture into the royal surf spots. Talk about hogging all the best swells!

In addition to where you could surf, the code of kapu also gave instructions for how long your board could be. Commoners had shorter 12-foot surfboards, while wealthier members of society used 24-foot longboards. It wasn't the easy-going kind of surfing that we see today.

With all of these rules, it makes you wonder why the chiefs didn't just forbid commoners from surfing entirely. Fortunately for everyone, surfing also had a spiritual connection for Hawaiian society at the time. Surfing was the people's way of praying to their gods, and it had a ritual significance as a result.

Surfing was also used as a way to prove yourself and gain respect within the upper class. It was a way to show your strength, mastery of the waves, and skills. While the first surfers certainly felt the same adrenaline rush that modern surfers do, back then it was no laughing matter when you rode the waves.

The code of kapu is no longer enforced today, and anyone can surf on any board that they want. There's no escaping the fact that surfing is deeply rooted in Hawaiian history. Whether or not you are spiritual towards surfing, praying to the gods for great waves can only help your chances, right?

How Were the First Surf Boards Made?

Ancient Hawaiian society had strict rules that laid out the laws for many aspects of life. These kapu (taboos) were also huge in determining where you can surf, how your board should be made, and what size it should be. Back then, they took their surfing very seriously.

Making your surfboard was an almost sacred undertaking, and you had to follow the conventions just right. When choosing wood for surfboards, Hawaiians would only opt for three types of trees: koa, 'ulu, and wiliwili. The surfer would then dig out the tree and put fish in the hole as a spiritual offering.

Once these practices were carried out to the last detail, a specialized artisan in the community would make the tree into a surfboard. Ancient Hawaiian surfers had to carry boards which were as massive as 175 pounds. Sounds fun!

Your place in society also determined how long your board was allowed to be. Longer boards were reserved for higher society, and shorter boards were permitted for commoners. The shape of your board was also a class indicator. You were bound to these rules regardless of what you wanted.

Since ancient Polynesians lived a life that was so connected to the ocean, they had plenty of experience with woodworking and creating their watercraft. On top of knowing the best way to make surfboards, they were also skilled at making rafts and canoes for fishing.

The social norms related to surfboards eventually died out with the divided class system. These days you can surf where you want on whatever kind of board you like most. Although the traditions of ancient surfboard making are strict by today's standards, surfing is still a considerable part of local Hawaiian culture.

The majority of modern surfboards are made from polyurethane or polystyrene foam. Modern technology has allowed for surfboard designs that maximize maneuverability and durability. Most importantly, you don't have to lug around a 175 lb. board to catch some waves!

Final Thoughts

In the end, we have a lot of unanswered questions about the history of surfing. We know that it played an essential role in ancient Polynesian society in terms of their lifestyle and religion. We also know that it used to be way more serious than the sport that's known and loved by so many people today.

Despite all the differences between now and then, a lot of common ground remains. People all around the world love to surf as a way to challenge themselves, get active, be close to the water, and experience the thrill of riding on waves. Hang ten, enjoy the vibes, and everything else becomes a minor detail!

If you want the best surf lessons in Hawaii, be sure to check out Waikiki Beach Services, which has been operating since 1955.

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In Ancient Polynesia, Surfing Wasn't Just About Catching Waves-It Was a Way of Life! Read on to Learn About the History of Hurfing.

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Polynesian historical background in navigation and how it influenced Westerners

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Polynesian historical background in navigation and how it influenced Westerners

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In this article Thompson shares her knowledge through speech on the vast history of Polynesian navigation, and how their in skills sailing and reading the constellations which have boggled the minds of many, They were able to navigate over 2,000 miles back and forth without the use of metal tools or writing, These techniques caught the attention of explorers for example James Cook who was fascinated by the navigational abilities of Polynesians and learned from them, incorporating their methods into his own navigation techniques which later made its way into Western culture. She also explores the ignorance of many western cultures and their lack of acceptance of the accomplishments of the indigenous people of Polynesia.

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The islands of Polynesia stretch over thousands of miles of ocean, presenting a daunting barrier to ancient people before the invention of magnetic compasses and modern navigation equipment.

Yet early Europeans exploring the Pacific found island after island full of people who shared similar customs and beliefs despite their far-flung distribution. They told tales of epic voyages of discovery and colonization, undertaken in ocean-going canoes, robust enough to make the trip but fragile enough to make some Western scholars doubt they could have made the crossing, preferring instead a narrative of accident and drift.

Who the Polynesians were, where they came from, and how they navigated such formidable seas has puzzled explorers, missionaries, anthropologists, and archaeologists for centuries.

In her book "Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia," Harvard Review editor Christina Thompson examines what's known about what might be humanity's most epic migration, and what questions remain. She also explores the investigation itself, how different times and changing Western assumptions colored the inquiries into native peoples' abilities and their past, and how sometimes the right questions were asked, even though the tools didn't yet exist to answer them.

GAZETTE: You wrote that "Sea People" is about the "sheer wondrousness of the improbability" of the peopling of Polynesia. What was so wondrous about it?

THOMPSON: First of all, it's the distance, the sheer distance. Once you get out to the far reaches of the Polynesian Triangle [bounded by New Zealand, Hawaii, Easter Island], you're talking about distances of over 2,000 miles between some of the islands. The idea that anyone would first explore out that far and then would go back and forth, and develop a navigational capacity that would enable them to do that sort of thing, it was just mind-bending to me.

So distance was a piece of it. Then, although people make a great deal about the fact that they didn't have metal tools, I think the thing that was most interesting was they didn't have writing. They had to not only develop that navigational capacity, they had to pass it on. If you think about how they did that in an oral culture, that also seems amazing to me.

"The idea that anyone would first explore out that far and then would go back and forth, and develop a navigational capacity that would enable them to do that sort of thing, it was just mind-bending to me."

GAZETTE: The book deals also with the flip side of that wondrousness, the Western skepticism that an "unsophisticated," "primitive" people could manage this feat. What underlies Western skepticism? Was it also wonder at the distances involved? Or was it rooted in racism, in ignorance? Why not just take folks at their word when they say they did it?

THOMPSON: There was a lot of skepticism, and I think that was basically rooted in a sense of Western superiority and classic colonialism and that set of attitudes. But one of the things that I think is misunderstood is that this was not a uniform view. There are periods, at the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century, when Europeans who were interested in this subject were actually not that skeptical at all of Polynesian voyaging capacity.

Some of the 19th-century figures I write about took for granted - completely - that Polynesians had been the greatest navigators ever. They were convinced that they had sailed these distances and they had gone back and forth repeatedly.

What I saw that sort of surprised me, because it ran contrary to the conventional wisdom, was a rise in skepticism in the 20th century. My interpretation is that this is because we're actually moving away from understanding the people. We're moving away in time from real contact with the islanders and a real understanding of what they were doing.

The earlier theorists of the 19th century had many bad ideas, but they did believe in Polynesian voyaging. And they were quite close to the people. They spoke the languages. They often married into these cultures. They were intimate with them. And they lived in a period before there was so much lost knowledge. So that was an interesting aspect of the story that I didn't foresee.

GAZETTE: Do we know why the Polynesians stopped voyaging?

THOMPSON: No. There are some interesting analyses of climate and the idea that there was a "climate window" that was particularly conducive to these voyages, and it might have closed. But none of this is conclusive.

But why did they stop? It's like the question of why they went.

GAZETTE: That was going to be another question, so jump right in.

THOMPSON: The most logical answer is that they have a tradition of migrating. These are people who have been moving for a couple of thousand years. They have been migrating from island to island and they keep migrating until they run out of places to migrate to.

They seem to have an idea of what they're doing and it may be propelled by what [ Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Australian National University] Peter Bellwood and others have called "a founder-focused ideology." I always liked that idea. You have a culture that really values founder figures. The founder is next in line to the gods, and to be a founder could be a great ambition. You can sort of imagine that a younger son might go out and seek a way to become a founder figure. It's sort of plausible, though it is a long way to go.

GAZETTE: How risky were these trips? Were they so good at navigating that it was like walking down the street? Was it 50-50, but there's glory at the end so what the heck? Or was it that only someone with the risk tolerance of a 22-year-old would undertake one?

THOMPSON: Over the years various people have pointed out that these people are basically sailing into the wind and that it's not so dangerous to explore into the wind because you can count on the wind to bring you home.

So the idea of going out and back, out and back, out and back, in a radial pattern - or something like that - is not so improbable. And if you were a person who expects there to be an island, who knows that islands are in chains and believes that you will find another island and that there will be another island beyond that, then the question is basically, "How long is it going to take to find the next one?"

But, of course, there are places where there aren't any islands. You can draw a line through the Marquesas from northwest to southeast and if you were to set out at any angle along that line, you would have to go 4,000 miles before you found anything. Which is a very long way to go, like you're probably out of food and water at that point.

GAZETTE: Do you have a favorite part of the book?

THOMPSON: Well, I have a real soft spot for Captain Cook. Then, intellectually, I was very interested in the middle part, which was about orality and literacy. And, of course, I love the story of the Hokule'a [a Polynesian double-hulled canoe that was sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976 to test Polynesian navigation techniques] and all the navigational stuff. I wanted to have a thread that went all the way through about how Europeans and Polynesians had different ways of thinking.

GAZETTE: The subtitle of the book is "The Puzzle of Polynesia." What puzzle pieces remain unknown?

THOMPSON: There's an argument about evidence from ancient DNA right now. There's not very much ancient DNA from Polynesia or even from the area slightly west of Polynesia, where the precursors of Polynesians came from. So everybody's waiting for more DNA, more information. And there are still questions about Polynesian contact with South America that remain unresolved.

GAZETTE: Tell me the story of putting the book together. Did you start right on the heels of your earlier book, "Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All"?

THOMPSON: It took me about two years after that first book before I figured out what I wanted to write about next. Then it all came together at the same time. I got an NEA grant that enabled me to travel and, at the same time, I put the book proposal together and sold the book.

Related

GAZETTE: And how much travel did you do? Did you get to see a lot of these places?

THOMPSON: We went for eight weeks all over Polynesia. I couldn't have really written this if I hadn't done that.

We went to Tahiti, the Marquesas, New Zealand. I wanted to go to Tonga to see a makatea island (a raised coral platform) and to the Tuamotus to see an atoll. I really needed to see an atoll because I just did not understand what it was like. We also went to Vanuatu, where I saw the dig at Teouma [the site of the oldest known cemetery in the Pacific Islands, dating to the ninth and 10th century B.C.]. It was the last season before they closed it up, so that was very exciting. And we went to Kealakekua Bay in Hawaii to see the place where Cook was killed. So I had these specific goals, some of them were geologic and some of them were cultural.

GAZETTE: What do you hope readers of this book get out of it?

THOMPSON: Part of it is just getting a glimpse of a piece of world history that a lot of people don't know anything about.

In some ways I see it not so much as a story about Polynesians as a world history story. "We humans have done these things and this particular group of humans did this particular thing, and it's pretty amazing. If you didn't know about it, here's a story you might like." So that's one piece of it.

And the other piece of it, which I didn't really anticipate, is this idea that when you have a tricky intellectual problem like this, it's interesting to watch people - especially over long periods of time - try to answer it with whatever they have at hand, given the state of knowledge and the technology at that moment. Because people are trying to understand things, but inevitably a lot of the time they get it wrong and they can't see that they've got it wrong until later. So for me there's a lesson in all of that, a lesson in intellectual humility.

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Harvard Review's Thompson explores the history and mystery of Polynesian navigation

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The islands of Polynesia stretch over thousands of miles of ocean, presenting a daunting barrier to ancient people before the invention of magnetic compasses and modern navigation equipment. Yet early Europeans exploring the Pacific found island after island full of people who shared similar customs and beliefs despite their far-flung distribution.

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Effects on Western colonization on Polynesian people 

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Effects on Western colonization on Polynesian people 

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This article focuses on the Polynesian people of Hawaii, and how their land was taken away from them and used in order to make a profit. A widely known company Dole, known for their pineapple company has had a long history of exploitation of Polynesian people. While it may appear that tourism helps the economy of these indigenous people it does the opposite and it also has a lot of detrimental effects on the environment, This has a large effect on Polynesian culture because of the close ties that they have to these lands and its beautiful landscapes. This article opened up my eyes to how many westerners admire the Hawaiian life style and culture but also refuse to pay respect to the people that it comes from.

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The Devastating Effects of Colonization on Hawai'i

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The exploitation of the Hawaiian land and people that led to and continues to contribute to the destruction of their culture.

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Polynesia is a large region In the Pacific Ocean, that composes of Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island and over 1,000 islands. Westerners have been influenced by Polynesian culture through many different aspects like art, music and dance traditions.
Tattooing has always been important in Polynesian culture and many of the designs have become popular among Western tattoo artists. The fashion industry has also incorporated lots of Polynesian patterns into their clothing designs. A significant example of Polynesian music gaining attention in the Western music industry is Israel Kamakawiwo'ole,  a Hawaiian musician who's version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" became a global hit.
While Polynesian culture has had a large effect of Western culture in ways that have been familiarized, there has been a long history of corruption that rarely comes to the media's attention.

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Polynesian culture, the beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the ethnogeographic group of Pacific islands known as Polynesia (from Greek poly 'many' and nēsoi 'islands'). Polynesia encompasses a huge triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean. The triangle has its apex at the Hawaiian Islands in the north and its base angles at New Zealand (Aotearoa) in the west and Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the east. It also includes (from northwest to southeast) Tuvalu, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa (formerly Western Samoa), American Samoa, Tonga, Niue, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia ( Tahiti and the other Society Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago, including the Gambier Islands [formerly the Mangareva Islands]), and Pitcairn Island. At the turn of the 21st century, about 70 percent of the total population of Polynesia resided in Hawaii.

The physical environment of the Polynesian islands is not as favourable for human habitation as it might at first seem. It certainly presented difficulties when the ancestors of the Polynesians entered the area some 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, first settling on the western islands-Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, and Tonga-which were devoid of much that was needed for human habitation. As a result, early peoples had to take in a wide variety of subsistence items, including most of the useful plants and all of the domestic animals they required. The physical environment has continued to exert a marked influence on Polynesian culture.

Polynesian cultures have been radically altered by Western colonialism. European explorers navigated much of the area in the latter quarter of the 18th century, and the first missionaries arrived in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Britain annexed New Zealand through the Treaty of Waitangi (1840), but interethnic tension arose between the indigenous Māori. Other colonial powers that laid claim to various parts of Polynesia included France, Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Chile.

Missionary influence on Polynesian peoples increased over time, and Christianity eventually became an integral part of the islanders' lives. In many areas Christianity was also influenced by local traditions and customs. Quite commonly, villages competed to build larger and more elaborate churches, and first-time visitors to Polynesia are often surprised at the intensity of the islanders' commitment to Christianity. Many Polynesians were recruited to proselytize other parts of the Pacific, particularly Melanesia.

After World War II, local sentiments for decolonization began to spread. Samoa became the first postcolonial Pacific nation when it gained sovereignty from New Zealand in 1962. It has a parliamentary system, but only traditional chiefs ( matai) may vote and run for election. Tuvalu also follows the parliamentary style of government. Three island groups-Tonga, Tahiti, and Hawaii-had traditionally been monarchies. This form of government survives only in Tonga, where a British-style parliament gives special status to traditional nobles. Most of the remaining island groups have gained some degree of independence from colonial rule.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is the anomaly of the region. The aboriginal population was so decimated by European-introduced diseases and by slavers in the 1860s that it almost became extinct. In 1888 the island was annexed by Chile; its people are now the only Pacific islanders controlled by a Latin American power. Little remains of Easter Island's original culture. The indigenous Polynesian language (also called Rapa Nui) survives, but most people also speak Spanish. About one-third of the island's small population is from Chile.

Contemporary Polynesia

Polynesia has loomed large in the Western imagination for more than 200 years. Idealized images were disseminated around the world from the time of first contact with Europeans: people in Europe avidly read the reports of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1771), Captain James Cook (1773), and other explorers and saw images made by the artists who accompanied them. These provided source material for published and widely circulated engravings. This fascination with an imagined "paradise" continued in the form of fiction-including such novels as Herman Melville's Typee (1846) and Omoo (1847) and Robert Louis Stevenson's A Footnote to History (1892) and In the South Seas (1896)-and visual art, particularly that of Paul Gauguin. Bred by these and other artists and by tourist iconography, musicals, and films, the notions of an almost blissfully carefree and easy way of life, devoid of harsh extremes of any type, played out on islands of great beauty and natural abundance, persisted into the 21st century in the popular imagination. Far from conforming to Western notions of paradise, traditional Polynesian cultures were in fact complex, highly specialized, and adapted to environments that could be quite hostile.

While Polynesia was never the paradise some Westerners supposed, the circumstances of contemporary life also reflect more than a century of colonial disruption to indigenous cultural traditions. Some of these disruptions have been quite severe. For example, French Polynesia was forever changed when it became a nuclear test site, a process begun in 1962 when France's former testing ground, Algeria, gained independence. The French government built testing facilities on two uninhabited atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago: Mururoa and Fangataufa. Over the next three decades, 192 bombs were detonated at those facilities. The first series of bombs (1966-74) were exploded in the atmosphere and thereby created a large amount of radioactive fallout. Regional antinuclear protests eventually compelled the French to shift to underground detonation, in which explosions were contained in shafts that had been bored deep beneath the land surface of Moruroa Atoll and its lagoon. Although decreasing the risk of atmospheric contamination, the subterranean testing program has caused the atoll to sink several yards.

The nuclear-testing program also changed French Polynesia's economy and the distribution of its population considerably. It generated an artificial sense of affluence by bringing in thousands of military personnel, creating a myriad of jobs, and initiating an influx of funding with which to guarantee the region's loyalty and strategic services. Many French Polynesians left their villages for urban areas, causing the previous era's self-sufficient subsistence economy to shift to a wage-based system. While French Polynesia came to have one of the highest standards of living in the South Pacific, many people's livelihoods became intricately tied to the "nuclear economy," which was exceedingly dependent on a continued military presence. With the end of testing in 1996, the French Polynesian government sought ways to diversify the local economy, aided by several years of financial assistance from the French government. Tourism emerged as one of the islands' main economic activities. In addition, despite the pro-French messages conveyed by the educational system and the French-controlled media, an antinuclear and pro-independence movement emerged in the islands. Its activities became a major factor in France's decision to change French Polynesia's status from that of a territory to that of an overseas collectivity, which included greater autonomy for the islands.

French Polynesia is not the only area in which people have become increasingly urbanized. Towns such as Apia (Samoa), Pago Pago (American Samoa), and Nuku'alofa (Tonga) have attracted many people from rural areas. Many Polynesians have moved to New Zealand (especially Auckland) and the United States (especially Hawaii, California, Washington, and Oregon). By the early 21st century, more Samoans and Cook Islanders were living away from their original islands than on them.

Although colonial history and migration have instigated a great deal of cultural change, the indigenous peoples of this region are also making strong efforts to revive or maintain many of their customs and values. There has been an efflorescence of indigenous Polynesian literature since the 1960s, especially from Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga. Although the earliest of these works often set indigenous peoples in direct opposition to the colonizers, more-recent literature grapples with the complex nature of colonial relationships and modern identities. Generally rooted in traditional culture, it reflects the continued importance of oral history, storytelling, and indigenous belief systems in the region ( see also Oceanic literature; New Zealand literature).

Fluency in Polynesian languages has been an area of focus since the 1970s, and many areas have immersion schools for preschool and older children. Programs in New Zealand and Hawaii, where traditional languages had essentially been lost, have been especially successful. Because of the immersion schools, the Māori and Hawaiian languages are now comparatively healthy. In 1987 the New Zealand government declared Māori an official language of that country and established the Māori Language Commission as part of that legislation. The Samoan, Tongan, and Tahitian languages were never lost, and thus are also fairly robust.

Festival activity, which has always been a significant part of Pacific culture, has provided a vehicle for expressing contemporary indigenous identities. The Festival of Pacific Arts, founded in 1972, has become a major venue for the perpetuation of the region's arts, music, and dance. With the goal of reviving what was in danger of being lost, the festival is held every four years, each time hosted by a different country. It has become an event that is both cultural and political and that serves to promote Pacific values. The Festival of Pacific Arts is complemented by other, more-local arts festivals, such as the annual Heiva in Tahiti, the annual Teuila Festival in Samoa, and the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Competition on the island of Hawaii.

Navigation over the open sea, often considered another art form, was almost lost but has been revived. In 1973 several people, all based in Hawaii, founded the Polynesian Voyaging Society in order to evaluate various theories of Polynesian seafaring and settlement. They reconstructed a double-hulled voyaging canoe in order to test both its seaworthiness and the efficacy of traditional (i.e., noninstrumental) navigation methods over the long ocean routes that Polynesians had once traveled. In 1975 the society launched the first such vessel, the Hokule'a, and in 1976 sailed it from Hawaii to Tahiti and back. They have continued to sail the Hokule'a as well as other canoes, such as the Hawai'iloa; the construction and sailing of these vessels serve to train students in the ancient arts of shipbuilding and navigation. Polynesians have applied the lessons learned from voyaging to cultural challenges they face today. For example, youths learn to listen carefully to elders, to learn by observing and doing, and to follow cultural rules, all of which have been useful in providing them with a sense of cultural identity.

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Polynesian culture | History, People, Religion, Traditions, & Facts

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Polynesian culture, the beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the ethnogeographic group of Pacific islands known as Polynesia, which encompasses a huge triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean. In the early 2000s, about 70 percent of the total population of Polynesia resided in Hawaii.

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While reading this Graphic Novel "In Waves" by AJ Dungo, I did not only get to hear his life story and the way that surfing impacted him as it has me, I learned a lot about surfing and how it originated in Polynesia more specifically Hawaii. It was interesting to see how a key aspect of Polynesian culture was able to develop into a global hit. While reading it made me realize the lack of attention that lots of idigenous people get to the innovations that they discovered. This initiated my interest into learning more upon their cultural background and history.