Chapter 5
Transoceanic Trade and Migration (2)
Following the Kuro Shio Current into the Northern
Pacific: Colonizations of Micronesia, Southern Japan
and Hawaii
Abstract Following the Kuro Shio Current into the northern Pacific provided a
migration path for Spice Islanders which stands outside the simplistic paradigm in
which the Lapita migrations are seen as the singular source for Pacific colonizations
and in which the settlement of the Pacific is seen as following solely, directly and
sequentially from the west–east colonizations of Near Oceania, Island Melanesia
and Western Polynesia. In this chapter it is suggested that following the Kuro Shio
Current led to a Spice Island colonization of western Micronesia about 5,700 years
ago, possibly led to the early establishment of a colony in southern Japan at this time
and certainly led to the setting up of a colony in southern Japan in the Yayoi period
(300 BC–AD 300). Further, it is shown that there is traditional and archaeological
evidence that Spice Island mariners following the Kuro Shio Current through the
northern Pacific colonized Hawaii before 1000 BC.
Keywords Kuro Shio Current · Micronesia · Japanese colony · Japanese taro ·
Moon/Lake myth · Cosmogonic tree
5.1 Introduction
In the last chapter we began the cumulative substantiation of our central paradigm
by considering the well-documented Cinnamon Route, an early transoceanic exploration, trading and migration route which clearly followed one of the four major
currents flowing out of the West Pacific Warm Pool. For probably 500 years before
the descent of the global cold period in c. 1000 BC and for at least a thousand years
after it ended, there is evidence that mariners followed a major WPWP current from
the Spice Islands to east Africa over a distance of more than 11,000 km, exploiting
its clockwise loop to make return spice trading voyages through the Indian Ocean.
We provided consilient evidence from many sources to support the historicity, range,
consistent use and economic viability of the Cinnamon Route: historical evidence
stretching back to Roman times for its existence as a trade route; maritime evidence from the survival to the present day in the Indian Ocean of the Halmaherian
double-masted double-outrigger that sailed the route; and genetic evidence, based
87
C.E.M. Pearce, F.M. Pearce, Oceanic Migration,
DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3826-5_5, C
Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Transoceanic Trade and Migration (2)
Following the Kuro Shio Current into the Northern
Pacific: Colonizations of Micronesia, Southern Japan
and Hawaii
Abstract Following the Kuro Shio Current into the northern Pacific provided a
migration path for Spice Islanders which stands outside the simplistic paradigm in
which the Lapita migrations are seen as the singular source for Pacific colonizations
and in which the settlement of the Pacific is seen as following solely, directly and
sequentially from the west–east colonizations of Near Oceania, Island Melanesia
and Western Polynesia. In this chapter it is suggested that following the Kuro Shio
Current led to a Spice Island colonization of western Micronesia about 5,700 years
ago, possibly led to the early establishment of a colony in southern Japan at this time
and certainly led to the setting up of a colony in southern Japan in the Yayoi period
(300 BC–AD 300). Further, it is shown that there is traditional and archaeological
evidence that Spice Island mariners following the Kuro Shio Current through the
northern Pacific colonized Hawaii before 1000 BC.
Keywords Kuro Shio Current · Micronesia · Japanese colony · Japanese taro ·
Moon/Lake myth · Cosmogonic tree
5.1 Introduction
In the last chapter we began the cumulative substantiation of our central paradigm
by considering the well-documented Cinnamon Route, an early transoceanic exploration, trading and migration route which clearly followed one of the four major
currents flowing out of the West Pacific Warm Pool. For probably 500 years before
the descent of the global cold period in c. 1000 BC and for at least a thousand years
after it ended, there is evidence that mariners followed a major WPWP current from
the Spice Islands to east Africa over a distance of more than 11,000 km, exploiting
its clockwise loop to make return spice trading voyages through the Indian Ocean.
We provided consilient evidence from many sources to support the historicity, range,
consistent use and economic viability of the Cinnamon Route: historical evidence
stretching back to Roman times for its existence as a trade route; maritime evidence from the survival to the present day in the Indian Ocean of the Halmaherian
double-masted double-outrigger that sailed the route; and genetic evidence, based
87
C.E.M. Pearce, F.M. Pearce, Oceanic Migration,
DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3826-5_5, C
Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010