68
4 Transoceanic Trade and Migration (1)
success of the Lapita migrations into Remote Oceania may imply significant previous migration experience. But it seems unlikely that, even in a time of natural
disaster or of invasion, all peoples from the thousand islands of the Spice Island
archipelago and related peoples from any colonies they may have established in
Island Southeast Asia would have abandoned their homelands at the same time.
Instead of thinking about the Lapita peoples as a single people in transit, perhaps
we can more usefully think in terms of a widespread tribal maritime culture of great
antiquity indigenous to the Spice Island region. This tribal maritime culture might
be thought of as comprising genetically related, Austronesian-speaking tribes, most
of them by 3,500 years ago of very considerable antiquity, independently adapting
and responding to crises, conflicts and opportunities and probably competing with
one another.
A simplistic migration history is suggested by the paradigm of a single people
in transit from Taiwan to Near Oceania. A more complicated ancient and continuing migration history is possible with the time depth we claim for the Spice
Islanders. The period spanned by Spice Island migrations for which we have evidence is in fact considerable. Migrations from the Spice Islands appear to have
begun as early as 5,700 years ago (the earliest date suggested for the colonization of Ngerekebesang Island in Palau in western Micronesia) [1] and to have
extended at least to Rakaihautu’s migration to New Zealand (in about AD 840 by
our calculation), a span of 4,500 years.
It is important, however, to remember that global climatic conditions constrained
long-distance voyaging. Thus the first settlement of Madagascar can only have
occurred before 1000 BC or after 400 BC. If Madagascar was colonized before
1000 BC (a “first-wave” settlement), the descendants of the first colonists or traders
would have been isolated for perhaps 600 years till warmer sea surface temperatures made it possible for mariners to sail the Cinnamon Route again and for new
colonists to arrive in Madagascar (in a “second-wave” migration).
The same climate constraints would have applied to all other long-distance
migrations from the region. The first settlement of Hawaii and New Zealand and
the initial colonization of Japan also can only have occurred before 1000 BC or
after 400 BC, and in Hawaii and New Zealand, as for Madagascar, colonists would
have been isolated for 600 years.
It is also important to make the point that Spice Island migration history, in the
last 2,000 years, involving Madagascar, New Zealand and Hawaii, needs to be read
not just as part of a local or regional history. It needs to be read in the wider context of international history. Warmer global conditions 2,000 years ago favoured the
expansion and increasing wealth of the Roman Empire, fuelling an unprecedented
demand in the empire for spices. Warmer conditions also favoured maritime trading
in the Indian Ocean. In AD 76, according to Abraham Fornander, working from
the Malay Annals, Island Southeast Asia was invaded by Arab, Indian, Chinese and
Malay traders aggressively seeking a share of the lucrative spice trade [2]. Foreign
traders set up trading stations to challenge the indigenous spice monopoly and may
indeed have encouraged local rival tribes to attack the Spice Islanders as a way of
destabilizing local trading networks.
4 Transoceanic Trade and Migration (1)
success of the Lapita migrations into Remote Oceania may imply significant previous migration experience. But it seems unlikely that, even in a time of natural
disaster or of invasion, all peoples from the thousand islands of the Spice Island
archipelago and related peoples from any colonies they may have established in
Island Southeast Asia would have abandoned their homelands at the same time.
Instead of thinking about the Lapita peoples as a single people in transit, perhaps
we can more usefully think in terms of a widespread tribal maritime culture of great
antiquity indigenous to the Spice Island region. This tribal maritime culture might
be thought of as comprising genetically related, Austronesian-speaking tribes, most
of them by 3,500 years ago of very considerable antiquity, independently adapting
and responding to crises, conflicts and opportunities and probably competing with
one another.
A simplistic migration history is suggested by the paradigm of a single people
in transit from Taiwan to Near Oceania. A more complicated ancient and continuing migration history is possible with the time depth we claim for the Spice
Islanders. The period spanned by Spice Island migrations for which we have evidence is in fact considerable. Migrations from the Spice Islands appear to have
begun as early as 5,700 years ago (the earliest date suggested for the colonization of Ngerekebesang Island in Palau in western Micronesia) [1] and to have
extended at least to Rakaihautu’s migration to New Zealand (in about AD 840 by
our calculation), a span of 4,500 years.
It is important, however, to remember that global climatic conditions constrained
long-distance voyaging. Thus the first settlement of Madagascar can only have
occurred before 1000 BC or after 400 BC. If Madagascar was colonized before
1000 BC (a “first-wave” settlement), the descendants of the first colonists or traders
would have been isolated for perhaps 600 years till warmer sea surface temperatures made it possible for mariners to sail the Cinnamon Route again and for new
colonists to arrive in Madagascar (in a “second-wave” migration).
The same climate constraints would have applied to all other long-distance
migrations from the region. The first settlement of Hawaii and New Zealand and
the initial colonization of Japan also can only have occurred before 1000 BC or
after 400 BC, and in Hawaii and New Zealand, as for Madagascar, colonists would
have been isolated for 600 years.
It is also important to make the point that Spice Island migration history, in the
last 2,000 years, involving Madagascar, New Zealand and Hawaii, needs to be read
not just as part of a local or regional history. It needs to be read in the wider context of international history. Warmer global conditions 2,000 years ago favoured the
expansion and increasing wealth of the Roman Empire, fuelling an unprecedented
demand in the empire for spices. Warmer conditions also favoured maritime trading
in the Indian Ocean. In AD 76, according to Abraham Fornander, working from
the Malay Annals, Island Southeast Asia was invaded by Arab, Indian, Chinese and
Malay traders aggressively seeking a share of the lucrative spice trade [2]. Foreign
traders set up trading stations to challenge the indigenous spice monopoly and may
indeed have encouraged local rival tribes to attack the Spice Islanders as a way of
destabilizing local trading networks.