Pacific Islands Essay Example

mentioned to have been a branch of the Austronesian family. Through examining the Austronesian language, it appears to have been branched off from many Southeast Asian languages. Language is passed on for generations and generations. Language is a living fact that shows where the origin of the Oceania are from. Human genetics have shown that the people from Southeast Asia share similar traits with the Polynesians and the Melanesians. Genetic traits are passed on and this is evidence to prove that people from Oceania were from Southeast Asia. “The rapid movement of Austronesian-speaking populations from island Southeast Asia into Near Oceania, and then on into Remote Oceania, is reflected in the pattern of human biological variation in the Pacific” (Kirch 2000: 100). The bloodline of the Southeast Asians can be traced through the different islands.

3.Why is the island of Flores important for understanding the seafaring abilities of Homo erectus? There were stone tools found in Flores that were shown to be 840,000 years old. These tools mean that the Homo erectus were present at Flores. Flores is an island that is near Java. 840,000 years ago, the only way for the hominid groups to travel to Flores was by sea. The fact the Homo erectus group was able to travel by sea meant they were not bound by land. The island of Flores is crucial as it explains the abilities of the Homo erectus. The Homo erectus was able to navigate through the ocean without modern technology. This must meant they understood patterns of wind current of the ocean. To navigate successfully, they would have to work with the wind, since navigating against

the wind isn’t ideal. They also needed to understand weather patterns so that they don’t travel the ocean in storms. Their intelligence must not be overlooked. On top of understanding weather, the Homo erectus understood the cardinal direction.

4.What is a “disharmonious fauna?” Where in the Pacific, relative to the Andesite Line, would we expect to see disharmonious fauna?

Disharmonious fauna describes the imbalance of plants and animals in the region. Some areas could be plentiful while other areas are empty. For instance, plant seeds that can travel by the ocean current can colonize an isolated island. Animals that can’t swim or fly then are bound to the island. Animals such as birds that travel through flying can colonize an isolated island. Birds and plants can colonize an isolated island since no previous predators existed. Islands that are closer to another big island have more vegetation than islands more remotely in location.

“On some islands, the lower and middle elevations are dominated by grasslands or fernlands, especially over large parts of Viti Levu in Fiji (Ash 1992) and on New Caledonia, as well as some smaller islands such as Futuna, Mangaia, or Mangareva “(Kirch 2000: 54). The islands that experience great diversity were the Near Oceania. Near Oceania is a geographic term that includes the areas of Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago. Fruit bats were the few that travel to the Remote Oceania. However other mammals and fruit bats were able to travel to Near Oceania. There was more diversity presented in Near Oceania.

2. What criticism has been offered of the typical characterization of the “Lapita cultural package”? Artifacts

explain a lot about a civilization. It gives information about when a civilization exist. The Lapita culture is seen to have developed in various islands as seen through the goods of pottery. Criticism of the Lapita culture is that their change in settlements throughout the time periods was not as striking as it appeared. Across the Pacific Islands, a similar pottery style is found consistently. This pottery style has been coined as part of the Lapita culture. For a widespread of an area to feature similar pottery, it can be concluded that trade existed. Trading allowed the pottery itself to influence the pottery styles of other islands.

This was an exchange of goods and ideas.“ The Lapita people were seafarers, venturing beyond coastal waters to move substantial quantities of pottery, obsidian, chert, oven stones, and other materials between their communities frequently over hundreds of kilometers (Kirch 2000:90). The Lapita people left presence in many islands. The Lapita pottery was decorated by the process of stamping. The clay was stamped by carved teeth. The designs of the pots fall in patterns to create motifs. There were rules for how the pottery designs were done. The fact that there were rules to art shows a developed society and values. The pottery was fired in an open fire. This caused the insides to not become fully oxidized.

This flaw was found consistent in the artifacts. All bowls, dishes, jars, and other ceramic goods, were created with the open fire and decorated through the stamping process. Some of the later discovered Lapita ceramics were found to symbolize human faces. These ceramics were believed to have either represented

ancestors or used in rituals. Besides having decorated ceramics, the Lapita people also made ceramics that were plain. The plain ceramics had a globular shape believed to have served the purpose of storing flour.

The Lapita people made more than just ceramics. They also created bracelets, fishhooks and tools such as a peeling knife. An item like fishhook is not a new phenomenon to the people in the Pacific Islands. The people were surrounded by the ocean. They had to either get or grow food from the land or from the ocean. Findings of similar fishhook suggest that the culture developed and adapted to what the Lapita culture had to offer. People sought trades of tools. As an economy and population develops, the trading of and obtaining new goods, such as stones items, is inevitable.

It’s important to understand that the presence of a new culture does not mean the native culture dies out. Too often it has been assumed that the Lapita culture has pushed and replaced the indigenous cultures of the islands. The Lapita culture didn’t formed immediately. Instead it embedded its roots in many Pacific Islands for a long period of time. The Lapita culture was found in New Britain. This means that the people of New Britain changed the way they used resources. It also meant that the previous inhabitants changed .

The inhabitants did not all of sudden discovered how useful some of the materials were. In fact, changes were made slowly since people focused on different things as seen by this quote “The new focus on lowland plants would have meant that people spent more time

away from their accustomed raw material (lithic) sources. The forms of the composite tools suggest a greater emphasis on portability and the extension of tool use life.” (Week 4 Part 2). Time is a valuable resource that is limited. Individuals have to decide how to allocate their time that will allow the highest return whether it be goods or a creation of a tool.

When trade occurs, there is a mutual gain. There is a gain in knowledge and goods. The artifacts that belong to the Lapita culture were found though a widespread of the Pacific Islands. The finding of these goods meant that there was interaction and not domination of the Lapita culture.

3. How does Pacific Island geomorphology influence the emergence of social status in Micronesia Micronesia is part of the Remote Oceania. There is a disparity in resources among the people and in the land. Being further away from the bigger islands, it lacks diversity. Only very few birds or bats could travel to the area. The mammals that were from the bigger islands were stuck because they’re land bound unless brought over from trades. The colonizers that are able to take advantage of the natural resources will thrive through farming techniques and the creation of assets.

Every inhabitant started off with similar resources in the island. There was a limited amount of resource to begin with, despite Micronesia being composed of so many little islands. Most of the islands are coral islands that have a lagoon within it. A challenge for the colonizers is to find fresh water. Fresh water is needed for human consumption and for plant

life sustainability. Fortunately, plants like coconut and Pandanus are highly adaptable to water of high salt content. Working around the obstacles is necessary.

The colonizers that are able to cultivate coconut, Pandanus,taro and breadfruit, will have created assets for themselves. A piece of land that shows promising results is valuable. Having a surplus of food or material that can be used to create goods creates social status. Even if every colonizer starts off farming, every single person will get different results. A plant like taro is required to be grown in man made pits that are near the aquifer. This requires knowledge and strategic planning. Farming techniques that allowed the people to maximized productivity is another asset. The person that creates the most good or owns the most goods will be able to use the excess to trade.

Being surrounded by the ocean, the colonists had to figure out how to adapt and modify the environment. The land in Micronesia did not have a lot of stones. As a result, shells and coral reefs became a primary resource. Shells were used for the creation of fish hooks. Being able to create fish hooks gave the colonists another advantage. Their primary source of food didn’t have to come from plants. The colonist had a bigger opportunity to obtain resources through fishing. Those skilled at fishing reaped the benefits. The tools are a value since it opens up opportunities.

People of Micronesia are able to gain social status through creating assets and mastering farming techniques. Colonists are forced to work around an environment that has limited resources. Social status is created by having resources

of value.