Pacific Island Studies MIDTERM Fall 2025

What are the 3 main cultural groupings of the pacific islands?

Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia

What are the main characteristics of Polynesia?

High volcanic islands, many islands

What are the main characteristics of Melanesia?

Diverse and populous, very dark skin

What are the main characteristics of Micronesia?

Low-lying coral islands, more challenging environment

What are “high islands”?

Formed from volcanic activity, mountainous, more elevation

What are “low islands”?

Flat, formed from coral reefs, less elevation

Who was Mau Piailug?

Micronesian master navigator from Satawal, known for reviving the art of non-instrumental navigation

What is the Hōkūleʻa?

Name for the traditional Polynesian/Hawaiian double-hulled voyaging canoe with two masts and long paddles

What is celestial navigation?

Pathfinding without technology or instruments, expert knowledge of the ocean and sky

What are some features of the Va’a / Vaka

Plank sewn, double hull, crab claw sail, lift-off and speed

What are the origins for the 1st wave of Pacific Island migration?

West to east, humans early settlement from New Guinea and Australia about 50,000 years ago

What are the origins for the 2nd wave of Pacific Island migration?

Migration from S.E. Asia and Melanesia, Austronesian to present day Polynesians, about 5,000 years ago

What are some main examples of settlement?

Archeology and physical anthropology

What is the Lapita Cultural Complex?

People and culture who first settled in Early Oceania, distinguished by pottery and navigation skills

Who was Thor Heyerdahl?

Norwegian explorer and anthropologist known for his adventurous expeditions, 1947 Kon-Tiki voyage which aimed to prove that ancient South Americans could have settled Polynesia

What did Thor Heyerdahl use to sail across the Pacific?

Mainly known for theorizing that the Pacific Islands were settled by South America, used the Kon-Tiki for his voyage to prove the theory

Who was Ferdinand Magellan?

Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, first European to cross the Pacific (discovered strait from Atlantic to Pacific)

Who was Captain James Cook?

British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer; known for mapping east coast of Australia, circumnavigating New Zealand, and visiting Hawaiian Islands

What is the meaning for the term “black birding”?

The forced extraction of Pacific Islanders as plantation & mining laborers; taking able bodied men and putting them to work

European and U.S. annexation of the Pacific Islands process:

Driven by trade, military strategy, imperial expansion, colonization, etc. displaced indigenous populations for generations

What year / years did Pacific Islands gain independence?

Between 1960s and 1980s, Samoa the first in 1962 and Palau in 1994

What is the definition of colonialism?

broader practice, policy, and ideology of control / exploitation of the indigenous region and its people (system and mindset)

What is the definition of colonization?

“come to stay” permanently occupy and assert sovereignty over indigenous land; the act of settling a territory and establishing political control (action)

What is the definition of Imperialism?

policy of extending a country's power and influence over foreign nations, either through direct territorial control or indirect political and economic dominance

What is self-determination?

the right of people to determine their own destiny, allows people to choose their own political status and determine their own development

Name the 3 Main Types of Militarization in Oceania

1) military buildup/installations 2) weapons testing rounds and 3) recruitment of soldiers/labor