Polynesian Voyagers: The Pioneers of Pacific Ocean Exploration

Introduction. Human beings have been curious about the ocean ever since they dwelt by its shores. This curiosity, combined with the need to travel and trade, inspired the exploration of the world’s oceans. Ocean exploration is defined as traveling across the world’s oceans, known or unknown, to gain new knowledge about places and resources. Though there is some evidence that humans have been exploring the oceans in a limited way for more than 100,000 years, true exploration, making use of boats and ships, can be traced back to around 4000 BCE. At this time, Polynesian people began to explore the Pacific Ocean, and Egyptians and Mesopotamian peoples began to explore the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The human desire for more knowledge of the oceans, especially stimulated by the desire to find new lands that lie beyond local waters, continues to the present and has a rich history. Viking expeditions in the North Atlantic; the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to India and the Americas; Chinese, Arab, and Persian voyages in the Indian Ocean; and later explorations by Europeans and others vastly increased human knowledge of the world. European voyages in particular helped to build an interconnected, globalized world economy and helped link remote places to each other. Knowledge of polar regions increased, and, today, the focus of exploration is on what lies below the ocean’s surface.

Early Polynesian Exploration of the Pacific Ocean.The voyages of the Polynesians are among the earliest and greatest of ocean explorations. Yet archaeological evidence documenting Polynesian expeditions is limited, as Polynesians had no written language and relatively little rock art that pertained to their voyages. Their motives for exploration can only be implicitly understood from what little material evidence remains. Archaeologists do know, however, that humans reached Australia, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands in the Southwest Pacific as early as 50,000 years ago, perhaps even earlier than that, and that they arrived from Southeast Asia.

A seafaring culture was established in the region by the second millennium BCE, although this developed at a slow pace. This culture, called Lapita, is known through its characteristic round pots. Ancestors of these people had also produced fish hooks and obsidian blades, and had domesticated animals such as dogs, chickens, and pigs. Archaeological remnants of this have been found throughout Taiwan, the Philippines, Sulawesi and Halmahera (in Indonesia), and in the Bismarck Archipelago and nearby islands, suggesting that the Lapita people spread from island to island. These early explorers seemed to prefer smaller uninhabited islands, which might explain why they avoided settlement in New Guinea. This also suggests that these early explorers were motivated by a desire to settle new places rather than by trade.

Gradually—and a bit over 2,000 years ago—humans explored and colonized islands including the Tikopia, Vanuatu, the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. These early explorers reached these islands in sailboats outfitted with triangular sails and sailed into the wind, meaning that a return to the home island would be easier. The region now known as Micronesia was settled around 2,000 years ago by settlers originating in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (and possibly from Fiji and Samoa). Settlers in Micronesia did not arrive from Southeast Asia; rather, they came from somewhere in the Southwest or Central Pacific, meaning that they were isolated from Southeast Asian culture, leading to little exchange between Asia and Micronesia.

What we know today as Polynesian culture is united largely by closely related languages (the Austronesian language family), rather than by other cultural forms. Modern Polynesian culture arose from the earlier Lapita culture around 2,000 years ago. By the time of the identifiable advent of Polynesian culture, thousands of Pacific islands had been settled. Polynesian exploration was not limited to islands that were in the path of the prevailing trade winds. Some voyagers reached more outlying locations, such as the Marquesas, the Austral Islands, and Rapa. Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was settled by Polynesian explorers around 400 CE, Hawai‘i was settled by approximately 500 CE, and New Zealand and the Chatham Islands were settled by approximately 1000 CE.

Polynesians used fleets of large canoes with twin hulls (like catamarans) or with outriggers to add stability. These canoes had raised bows and decks with shelters and could accommodate dozens of people in each canoe. Voyages of exploration seeking new islands were well-provisioned with plants, animals, tools, and skilled individuals (farmers, hunters, fishers, and builders) and their families. The canoes were relatively easy to handle and could be righted if capsized. Explorers could also depend on rainwater and fish for survival on the voyage. Moreover, sailing into winds or currents meant that a return to the home island was usually possible if no new land was found (though if a suitable new island was found, settlers rarely returned to their home island). Navigators were guided by the sun and stars as they sailed in particular directions, rather than randomly. Ocean currents, waves, and evidence of life such as birds could also be used to help find new islands. The longest of such exploratory voyages was several thousand miles, sailing out into the unknown. These early Polynesian voyages of exploration were so successful that virtually all islands of the Pacific were contacted before European arrival in the sixteenth century CE.