1.6 Consilience
11
an understanding of long-distance migration and voyaging in the Pacific and Indian
Oceans from the Lapita age (1600–1000 BC).
Oceanography and global climate history are, of course, closely related. ENSO
events recorded in the low Nile flood proxy data that we call on in Part III can be
thought of as oceanographic phenomena. The Kelvin and Rosby waves they generate travel the full width of the Pacific. In warm climate periods ENSO events can
induce drought as severe as that of the 903 El Niño which toppled a dynasty in China
and led to the demise of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. The El Niño drought
and famine of 1096, which triggered simultaneous migrations to Hawaii from three
different locations in tropical Polynesia, from Samoa, the Society Islands and the
Marquesas, also led to the fall of the Zhou dynasty in China.
Climate events of Pacific-wide significance can be correlated with migrations and
invasions in tropical Polynesia. Major volcanic eruptions strong enough to generate
“nuclear winters” can induce global drought. The Huguang Maar Lake sediments
carry evidence of such events, allowing us, for example, to date an early Taupo
eruption to 1027 BC and to propose this as the cause of a near-extinction event in
New Zealand recorded in Moriori tradition.
A surprising number of major events recorded in Polynesian history can be correlated with the most severe levels of ENSO events: events which are indicated both
in the low Nile flood data and through titanium levels from the Huguang Maar Lake
sediments. That El Niño events are recorded in the lake sediments is not surprising
for the sediment data is correlated with the southerly movement of the intertropical
convergence zone – a movement known to occur in El Niño years.
The consilience of dating estimates for major migrations and significant voyaging, based on genealogical estimates, with dating from climate proxy data with high
resolution, demonstrates the extent to which Polynesian history is climate-driven. It
also demonstrates the accuracy of traditional histories and of some of the rare, long,
carefully preserved genealogies which underpin them.
1.6 Consilience
In successive chapters in Part I we present evidence in support of the central
paradigm proposed in this book: that in the earliest phase of their exploration and
colonization of the Pacific and in their establishment of the Cinnamon Route in the
Indian Ocean, Spice Island mariners followed three of the four major fast warm
currents flowing through and/or out of the West Pacific Warm Pool. We show that
before 1000 BC and again when global warmth returned after 400 BC, at least three
of these four currents were used by Spice Island explorers, traders and settlers as
ocean highways. Flowing out of a volcanically heated West Pacific Warm Pool,
these currents provided warm passage through colder oceans. Spice Island explorers using these highways were able to cover vast distances from the Spice Islands:
to the north (through Micronesia to Japan), to the south (to New Zealand and just
possibly along the coast of Western Australia), to the east (from Japan to Hawaii
11
an understanding of long-distance migration and voyaging in the Pacific and Indian
Oceans from the Lapita age (1600–1000 BC).
Oceanography and global climate history are, of course, closely related. ENSO
events recorded in the low Nile flood proxy data that we call on in Part III can be
thought of as oceanographic phenomena. The Kelvin and Rosby waves they generate travel the full width of the Pacific. In warm climate periods ENSO events can
induce drought as severe as that of the 903 El Niño which toppled a dynasty in China
and led to the demise of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. The El Niño drought
and famine of 1096, which triggered simultaneous migrations to Hawaii from three
different locations in tropical Polynesia, from Samoa, the Society Islands and the
Marquesas, also led to the fall of the Zhou dynasty in China.
Climate events of Pacific-wide significance can be correlated with migrations and
invasions in tropical Polynesia. Major volcanic eruptions strong enough to generate
“nuclear winters” can induce global drought. The Huguang Maar Lake sediments
carry evidence of such events, allowing us, for example, to date an early Taupo
eruption to 1027 BC and to propose this as the cause of a near-extinction event in
New Zealand recorded in Moriori tradition.
A surprising number of major events recorded in Polynesian history can be correlated with the most severe levels of ENSO events: events which are indicated both
in the low Nile flood data and through titanium levels from the Huguang Maar Lake
sediments. That El Niño events are recorded in the lake sediments is not surprising
for the sediment data is correlated with the southerly movement of the intertropical
convergence zone – a movement known to occur in El Niño years.
The consilience of dating estimates for major migrations and significant voyaging, based on genealogical estimates, with dating from climate proxy data with high
resolution, demonstrates the extent to which Polynesian history is climate-driven. It
also demonstrates the accuracy of traditional histories and of some of the rare, long,
carefully preserved genealogies which underpin them.
1.6 Consilience
In successive chapters in Part I we present evidence in support of the central
paradigm proposed in this book: that in the earliest phase of their exploration and
colonization of the Pacific and in their establishment of the Cinnamon Route in the
Indian Ocean, Spice Island mariners followed three of the four major fast warm
currents flowing through and/or out of the West Pacific Warm Pool. We show that
before 1000 BC and again when global warmth returned after 400 BC, at least three
of these four currents were used by Spice Island explorers, traders and settlers as
ocean highways. Flowing out of a volcanically heated West Pacific Warm Pool,
these currents provided warm passage through colder oceans. Spice Island explorers using these highways were able to cover vast distances from the Spice Islands:
to the north (through Micronesia to Japan), to the south (to New Zealand and just
possibly along the coast of Western Australia), to the east (from Japan to Hawaii