Polynesian Society: Artifact 1

The Voyaging Canoe

     The voyaging canoe was how people were able to travel from larger land masses to smaller islands. The vessel was made up of a double canoe made of two hulls connected by lashed crossbeams. A medium-sized canoe was about 50 to 60 feet long and could hold up to two dozen migrants, their food supplies, livestock, and planting materials. These ocean-goers navigated the sea by observing the stars, ocean swells, flight patterns of birds, and other natural signs.
     Travels began off the shores of New Guinea drawing people eastward into the ocean. By 1500 B.C. voyagers were moving along the Solomon island chain, to the Banks and Vantuatu Archipelagos. Once sailors reached Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa, they were alone in the ocean, but despite the vast size of the ocean and unfavorable winds, they continued eastward to the Cook, Society, and Marquesas Groups.
     Legendary voyagers Kupe, Hotu Matu'a and Mo'ikeha began sailing around 1000 A.D. and are said to have reached the islands of New Zealand, Easter Island, and Hawai'i. Those three points make up what is known as the Polynesian Triangle.

Works Cited:
Information: "Polynesians: An Oceanic People." PBS. Avian Mind Design, and Maiden Voyage
     Productions. Web. 5 September 2014.
Photo: http://www.janesoceania.com/oceania_polynesians/index.htm