12
1 Introduction
and America) and to the west (to Madagascar and the east coast of Africa). We
show, moreover, how the sailing strategy of following fast warm currents out of the
West Pacific Warm Pool could be used as an early exploration strategy that enabled
Spice Islanders to discover and settle the largest uninhabited islands in two oceans
(Madagascar and the North and South Islands of New Zealand) and to cross the full
width of both oceans. We suggest that much of this exploration and settlement took
place before 1000 BC when, as noted, an intense global cold period began which
halted voyaging for at least 600 years.
Oceanic Migration makes the first attempt to comprehensively explore the maritime prehistory of the Spice Island ancestors of the Polynesian peoples. It highlights
the factors needed to counter the risks of hypothermia and make their remarkable
maritime achievements possible: warm global climate conditions, strong outflows
not just of warm but of volcanically heated waters from the West Pacific Warm Pool
providing anomalously high sea surface temperatures for its four major currents,
creating warm highways across both oceans; high levels of genetic cold resistance
and famine resistance in the Spice Island mariners; and the double usefulness of the
sailing strategy of following fast warm currents as an exploration strategy capable of
rapidly discovering and then later re-locating the largest uninhabited islands in two
oceans. Our study of the Spice Islanders’ maritime history reveals a wide-ranging,
largely unexplored history of both early and late explorations and migrations in the
Pacific and southern Indian Oceans.
In this brief Introduction we can offer only a crude outline of what we attempt
in this book. Our chosen case studies in Parts II and III of the first and last prehistoric migrations to New Zealand, for example, are used to provide a focus for a new
way of seeing the whole range of New Zealand prehistory and palaeodemography
New Zealand palaeodemography, and to throw new light on the Pacific prehistory
of which they are part. We draw on largely unexplored evidence bases. Mathematics
is used in conjunction with areas of science such as genetics, demography and
climatology. We study the diffusion and evolution of creation myths, study traditional oral histories and the genealogies that underpin them. The new understanding
of New Zealand and Pacific history made possible through such an inclusive
approach leads to what can only be described as a remarkable consilience of
evidence.
It is perhaps useful to comment on the way we present our material in the book.
First, where science meets prehistory we have deliberately avoided paraphrasing
or simplifying the scientific sources on which our argument depends, preferring to
quote researchers’ words directly. When traditional Polynesian historical sources
are important to our argument, as in Chapter 18, we quote them directly (albeit in
translation) as primary texts. The Moriori genealogies and the main Rarotongan line
that we discuss in Part III are supplied to the reader in an appendix. Visual representations of the patterns of ENSO events revealed in the low Nile flood proxy data are
provided and the published graph of the Huguang Maar proxy data for the past 4,500
years provided with permission from the publisher. Presenting scientific, mathematical and primary historical sources directly, we feel, gives readers the opportunity
to engage with the material involved and to weigh up for themselves the complex
1 Introduction
and America) and to the west (to Madagascar and the east coast of Africa). We
show, moreover, how the sailing strategy of following fast warm currents out of the
West Pacific Warm Pool could be used as an early exploration strategy that enabled
Spice Islanders to discover and settle the largest uninhabited islands in two oceans
(Madagascar and the North and South Islands of New Zealand) and to cross the full
width of both oceans. We suggest that much of this exploration and settlement took
place before 1000 BC when, as noted, an intense global cold period began which
halted voyaging for at least 600 years.
Oceanic Migration makes the first attempt to comprehensively explore the maritime prehistory of the Spice Island ancestors of the Polynesian peoples. It highlights
the factors needed to counter the risks of hypothermia and make their remarkable
maritime achievements possible: warm global climate conditions, strong outflows
not just of warm but of volcanically heated waters from the West Pacific Warm Pool
providing anomalously high sea surface temperatures for its four major currents,
creating warm highways across both oceans; high levels of genetic cold resistance
and famine resistance in the Spice Island mariners; and the double usefulness of the
sailing strategy of following fast warm currents as an exploration strategy capable of
rapidly discovering and then later re-locating the largest uninhabited islands in two
oceans. Our study of the Spice Islanders’ maritime history reveals a wide-ranging,
largely unexplored history of both early and late explorations and migrations in the
Pacific and southern Indian Oceans.
In this brief Introduction we can offer only a crude outline of what we attempt
in this book. Our chosen case studies in Parts II and III of the first and last prehistoric migrations to New Zealand, for example, are used to provide a focus for a new
way of seeing the whole range of New Zealand prehistory and palaeodemography
New Zealand palaeodemography, and to throw new light on the Pacific prehistory
of which they are part. We draw on largely unexplored evidence bases. Mathematics
is used in conjunction with areas of science such as genetics, demography and
climatology. We study the diffusion and evolution of creation myths, study traditional oral histories and the genealogies that underpin them. The new understanding
of New Zealand and Pacific history made possible through such an inclusive
approach leads to what can only be described as a remarkable consilience of
evidence.
It is perhaps useful to comment on the way we present our material in the book.
First, where science meets prehistory we have deliberately avoided paraphrasing
or simplifying the scientific sources on which our argument depends, preferring to
quote researchers’ words directly. When traditional Polynesian historical sources
are important to our argument, as in Chapter 18, we quote them directly (albeit in
translation) as primary texts. The Moriori genealogies and the main Rarotongan line
that we discuss in Part III are supplied to the reader in an appendix. Visual representations of the patterns of ENSO events revealed in the low Nile flood proxy data are
provided and the published graph of the Huguang Maar proxy data for the past 4,500
years provided with permission from the publisher. Presenting scientific, mathematical and primary historical sources directly, we feel, gives readers the opportunity
to engage with the material involved and to weigh up for themselves the complex