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'{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}} {{too many sections|date=January 2018}} [[Image:Pacific Ocean.png|right|222px|noframe]] '''History of the Pacific Islands''' covers the history of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. {{TOClimit|limit=3}} ==Histories== ===Easter Island – Rapanui=== {{main|History of Easter Island}} Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, and for most of the History of Easter Island it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants, the [[Rapanui]], have endured famines and big push factors, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought their fame out of all proportion to their numbers. ===Cook Islands=== {{main|History of the Cook Islands}} In Cook Islands Māori pre-history, Chieftains from present day [[French Polynesia]] and their tribes, along with navigators, took their ships in search of unknown or newly found lands, first arriving in the southern island groups around 800 AD or earlier. Many other tribal migrations from French Polynesia, notably [[Tahiti]] would continue for centuries forming a unique Māori society. Similarly, the northern islands were also settled from the east, with some of the northern islands possibly having had later interactions with Western Polynesia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ck/history.htm |title=History of the Cook Islands : What is in our past|website=Ck|accessdate=2015-12-29}}</ref> The capital [[Rarotonga]], is known, from various oral histories to have been the launching site of seven [[waka (canoe)|waka]] ship voyagers who settled in New Zealand, becoming the major tribes of the New Zealand [[Māori people|Māori]]. Up until relatively recently there was continuous contact between both lands where back and forth migration and trade took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/rarotonga-and-the-cook-islands/history |title=History of Rarotonga & the Cook Islands – Lonely Planet Travel Information |website=Lonelyplanet.com |date= |accessdate=2015-12-29}}</ref> The Cook Islands Te Reo Māori language is closely related to the [[Te Reo Maori]] indigenous language of New Zealand. Spanish ships visited the islands in the 16th&nbsp;century; the first written record of contact with the islands came with the sighting of [[Pukapuka]] by Spanish sailor [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] in 1595 who called it ''San Bernardo'' (Saint Bernard). A few years later, a Spanish expedition led by [[Pedro Fernandes de Queirós]] made the first recorded European landing in the islands when he set foot on [[Rakahanga]] in 1606, calling it ''Gente Hermosa'' (Beautiful People).<ref>[http://findingnz.co.nz/av/gav22.htm] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504002823/http://findingnz.co.nz/av/gav22.htm |date=4 May 2013 }}</ref> The country is named after British captain Captain James Cook who surveyed and landed on some of the islands between 1774 and 1777. ===Fiji=== {{main|History of Fiji}} The history of Fiji dates back to ancient times. There are many theories as to how the [[Fijians|Fijian]] race came into existence. Around 1500 BC [[Fiji]] was settled by (melaneasion) seafarers. Around 900–600 BC [[Moturiki|Moturiki Island]] was settled. By 500 BC, [[Polynesia]]n seafarers had reached Fiji and intermarried with the [[Melanesia]]n inhabitants, giving rise to the modern [[Fijians|Fijian people]]. In 1643 AD, [[Abel Tasman]] sighted [[Vanua Levu]] Island and northern [[Taveuni]]. According to native oral legends Fijians were also descendants of a nomadic tribe from Tanganika ([[Tanzania]]). ===Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands=== {{main|History of Guam}} The history of Guam involves phases including the early arrival of people known today as the ancient [[Chamorros]], the development of "pre-contact" society, Spanish colonization, and the present American rule of the island. Archaeologists using carbon-dating have broken Pre-Contact Guam (i.e. Chamorro) history into three periods: "Pre-Latte" (BC 2000? to AD 1) "Transitional Pre-Latte" (AD 1 to AD 1000), and "Latte" (AD 1000 to AD 1521). Archaeological evidence also suggests that Chamorro society was on the verge of another transition phase by 1521, when [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s expedition arrived, as latte stones became bigger. The original inhabitants of Guam are believed to be descendants of [[Indigenous Taiwanese People]] originating from [[the high mountains of Taiwan]] as early as 4,000 BC, having linguistic and cultural similarities to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guam-online.com/history/history.htm |title=Guam History, People and Culture |website=Guam-online.com |date= |accessdate=2015-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103071923/http://www.guam-online.com/history/history.htm |archive-date=3 November 2012 |dead-url=yes |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Guam]]'s history of colonialism is the longest among the Pacific islands and Chamorros are considered one of the oldest mixed race in the Pacific. In 1668 the Spanish formally incorporated the islands to the [[Spanish East Indies]] and founded a colony on [[Guam]] as a resting place for the west-bound [[Manila galleons]]. The territory was ceded by Spain more than two centuries later, when in 1898 the United States took over the islands following the [[Spanish–American War]]. The chamorro culture has evolved much since European contact and has been much influenced by Spanish and American colonization. Although the original culture no longer exists, it is now being revived with contemporary alternatives and similarities in styles with all the other pacific islands. Not one unique, but all combined to form a uniqueness in style, to today's modern interpretation of what their culture might have been. It should also be mentioned that the Chamorros on Guam view their culture & language differently than the Chamorros on the Northern Mariana Islands. ===Hawaii=== {{main|History of Hawaii}} Hawaiian history is inextricably tied into a larger [[Polynesia]]n phenomenon. Hawai{{okina}}i is the apex of the [[Polynesian Triangle]], a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups: Hawai{{okina}}i, Rapa Nui ([[Easter Island]]), and Aotearoa (New Zealand). The many island cultures within the Polynesian Triangle share similar languages derived from a [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|proto-Malayo-Polynesian language]] used in Southeast Asia 5,000 years ago. Polynesians also share cultural traditions, such as religion, social organization, myths, and material culture. Anthropologists believe that all Polynesians have descended from a South Pacific proto-culture created by an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) people that had migrated from Southeast Asia. The seven main Polynesian cultures are [[Māori people|Aotearoa]], [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]], [[Easter Island|Rapa Nui]], [[Marquesas]], [[Samoa]], [[Tahiti]], and [[Tonga]] The early settlement history of Hawai{{okina}}i is still not completely resolved. Some believe that the first Polynesians arrived in Hawai{{okina}}i in the 3rd century from the [[Marquesas]] and were followed by [[Tahiti]]an settlers in 1300 AD who conquered the original inhabitants. Others believe that there was only a single, extended period of settlement. ===Indonesia=== {{main|History of Indonesia}} In the history of Indonesia, [[Austronesian people]], who form the majority of the modern population, migrated to South East Asia from Taiwan. They arrived in Indonesia around 2000&nbsp;BC, and confined the native [[Melanesians|Melanesian peoples]] to the far eastern regions as they expanded.<ref>Taylor (2003), pages 5–7</ref> [[Dong Son culture]] spread to Indonesia bringing with it techniques of [[Paddy field|wet-field rice cultivation]], ritual buffalo sacrifice, bronze casting, [[megalithic]] practises, and ''[[ikat]]'' weaving methods. Ideal agricultural conditions, and the mastering of wet-field rice cultivation as early as the 8th century BC,<ref> {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Jean Gelman |title=Indonesia |publisher=Yale University Press |date= |location=New Haven and London |pages=8–9 |url= |doi= |isbn=0-300-10518-5}}</ref><!--BCE is correct, not CE!--> allowed villages, towns, and small kingdoms to flourish by the 1st century AD. ===Japan=== {{main|History of Japan}} The written history of Japan begins with brief references in the 1st century AD ''[[Twenty-Four Histories]]'', a collection of Chinese historical texts. However, archaeological evidence indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the [[Upper Paleolithic|upper paleolithic]] period.<ref>[http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/102/17/6231.pdf Global archaeological evidence for proboscidean overkill], Todd Surovell et al., [[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]], 2005</ref> Following the last [[ice-age]], around 12,000 BC, the rich [[ecosystem]] of the [[Japanese Archipelago]] fostered human development. The earliest-known pottery belongs to the [[Jōmon period]]. ===Kiribati=== {{main|History of Kiribati}} In the history of Kiribati, the islands which now form the Republic of [[Kiribati]] have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years, and possibly much longer. The initial [[Micronesia]]n population, which remains the overwhelming majority today, was visited by [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] and [[Melanesian]] invaders before the first European sailors "discovered" the islands in the 16th century. For much of the subsequent period, the main island chain, the [[Gilbert Islands]], was ruled as part of the [[British Empire]]. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati. ===Malaysia=== {{main|History of Malaysia}} History of Malaysia is the written past of a country in [[South East Asia]] whose strategic sea-lane position brought trade and foreign influences that fundamentally influenced its history. [[Hinduism|Hindu]] India, the [[Islam]]ic Middle East and Christian Europe to its west, and China and Japan to the north-east were major influences brought by shipping routes passing through the region. Malaysian history is also intertwined with that of neighbouring [[Indonesia]], [[Singapore]], [[Philippines]], [[Brunei]] and [[Thailand]]. This trade and foreign cultures brought the area great wealth and diversity, but has also domination and colonialism. The history of Malaysia is one of successive phases of outside influence, followed by the mid-20th century establishment of independence from foreign colonial powers. ===New Caledonia=== In the [[history of New Caledonia]], the diverse group of people that settled over the [[Melanesian]] [[archipelago]]s are known as the [[Lapita]]. They arrived in the archipelago now commonly known as New Caledonia and the [[Loyalty Islands]] around 1500 BC. The Lapita were highly skilled navigators and agriculturists with influence over a large area of the Pacific. From about the 11th century Polynesians also arrived and mixed with the populations of the archipelago. Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th century. The British explorer [[James Cook]] sighted [[Grande Terre (New Caledonia)|Grande Terre]] in 1774 and named it ''New Caledonia'', Caledonia being the Latin name for Scotland. During the same voyage he also named the islands to the north of New Caledonia the [[New Hebrides]] (now [[Vanuatu]]), after the islands north of Scotland. ===New Zealand=== {{main|History of New Zealand}} The History of New Zealand dates back to at least 700 years to when it was discovered and settled by [[Polynesians]], who developed a distinct [[Māori people|Māori]] culture centred on kinship links and land. The first European explorer, the Dutch [[Abel Tasman]], came to New Zealand in 1642. From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1840 the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] was signed between the [[British Crown]] and various Māori chiefs, bringing New Zealand into the [[British Empire]] and giving Māori equal rights with British citizens. There was extensive European and some Asian settlement throughout the rest of the century. War and the imposition of a European economic and legal system led to most of New Zealand's land passing from Māori to European ownership, and most Māori subsequently became impoverished. From the 1890s the [[New Zealand parliament]] enacted a number of progressive initiatives, including [[Women's suffrage in New Zealand|women's suffrage]] and old age pensions. From the 1930s the economy was highly regulated and an extensive welfare state was developed. Meanwhile, Māori culture underwent a renaissance, and from the 1950s Māori began moving to the cities in large numbers. This led to the development of a [[Māori protest movement]] which in turn led to greater recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi in the late 20th century. In the 1980s the economy was largely deregulated and a number of socially liberal policies, such as decriminalisation of homosexuality, were put in place. Foreign policy, which had previously consisted mostly of following Britain or the United States, became more independent. Subsequent governments have generally maintained these policies, although tempering the free market ethos somewhat. ===Niue Island=== The history of the Niue Island can be traced back to a 1,000 years when the Polynesian settles came here. Traces of Pukapulan dialect are still there in the native language which is based on the Samoan and Tongan language. The Polynesian settlers were raters isolated as there was very little inter island trade and the existence of the limestone island was in itself very difficult due to lack of rivers and cultivable soil. The modern history of Niue can be traced back to the 1740s with the arrival of Captain James Cook. Cook described the island as "Savage Island" in his records as the natives were not very welcoming to strangers. This was in complete contrast to the Tongans he described as "The Friendly Islands". Captain Cook tried to set his foot thrice on the island but was repulsed each of the three times. The natives at that time were quite hostile to strangers. Christianity was brought to the island by Peniamina in the year 1846 when he got converted during his stay at Samoa. The islanders were completely converted to Christianity by the end of the 19th century. Colonization took place thereafter and the island was declared as a part of the British Empire. The island country became independent in 1974 but still have a free association agreement with New Zealand and many of its citizens have become citizens of New Zealand. Now the Island country has a democracy and is governed by a legislative assembly consisting of 20 members. Niue is the smallest democracy in the world. ===Papua New Guinea=== {{main|History of Papua New Guinea}} The History of Papua New Guinea can be traced back to about 60,000 years ago when people first migrated towards the [[Australia (continent)|Australian continent]]. The written history began when European navigators first sighted [[New Guinea]] in the early part of the 16th century. Portuguese explorers first arrived from the west and later Spanish navigators from the east, after crossing the Pacific. The island was given its name "New Guinea" by Spanish explorer [[Yñigo Ortiz de Retez]] who sailed its coast in 1545. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an [[Quaternary glaciation|ice age]] period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. For an overview of the geological history of the continent of which New Guinea is a part, see [[Australia-New Guinea|Australia – New Guinea]]. Although the first arrivals were [[hunter-gatherer]]s, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. The gardens of the New Guinea highlands are ancient, intensive [[permaculture]]s, adapted to high population densities, very high rainfalls (as high as 10,000mm/yr (400in/yr)), earthquakes, hilly land, and occasional frost. There are indications that gardening was being practised at the same time that agriculture was developing in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Egypt]]. ===Philippines=== {{main|History of the Philippines}} In the beginning of the history of the Philippines, the arrival of the first humans via [[land bridge]]s at least [[Upper Paleolithic|30,000 years ago]].<ref name="uslc-3">{{Harvnb|Dolan|1991-3}}</ref> [[Austronesians]] actively settled the island from [[Taiwan]] from 2500 BCE and displaced [[Negritoes]] from the Coastal areas, forcing them into the mountains. Due to influence from the [[Cholas]] and states they had cultural influence over, [[Indianized]] [[Hindu]] kingdoms arose in the early Medieval period and the Islamic [[Sultanate of Brunei]] extended its rule over parts of [[Mindanao]] by the late 15th century. The first visit from Western explorers is the arrival of a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]], who arrived on [[Homonhon Island]], southeast of [[Samar]] on 16 March 1521.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www2.hawaii.edu/~gaspar/churches.html |title=Sacred Homes of the Ekklesia: The Colonial Churches of the Philippines |author=Gaspar, Roger Gerard B |publisher=[[University of Hawaii]] |accessdate=5 February 2008 |ref=harv |postscript= |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117003944/http://www2.hawaii.edu/~gaspar/churches.html |archivedate=17 January 2008 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Spanish colonization]] began with the arrival of [[Miguel López de Legazpi]]'s expedition and permanent settlement in the island of [[Cebu]] in 1565,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/ce/Cebu.html |title = Cebu |publisher = bartleby.com, citing The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–07 |accessdate = 5 February 2008 |ref = harv |postscript = <!--None--> |deadurl = yes |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111015713/http://www.bartleby.com/65/ce/Cebu.html |archivedate = 11 January 2008 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and more settlements continued northward with the Spanish settlers reaching the bay of [[Manila]] on the island of [[Luzon]] in 1571.<ref name="columbia philippines">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia = [[The Columbia Encyclopedia]] |title = Philippines, The |url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/ph/PhilipRep.html |edition = 6th |year = 2007 |publisher = [[Columbia University Press]] |deadurl = yes |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080728061705/http://www.bartleby.com/65/ph/PhilipRep.html |archivedate = 28 July 2008 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In Manila, they established a new town and thus began an era of [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] colonization that lasted for more than three centuries.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html |title=Philippines – Intro |publisher=CIA World Factbook |accessdate=5 February 2008 |format=– ^{[https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=intitle%3APhilippines+-+Intro&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]} |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111070218/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html |archivedate=11 January 2010 }} </ref> The Philippines were conquered by the United States in 1898, occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945 and given independence in 1946. ===Samoa=== {{main|History of Samoa|Archaeology in Samoa}} In the History of Samoa, contact with Europeans began in the early 18th century but did not intensify until the arrival of the English. In 1722, [[Netherlands|Dutchman]] [[Jacob Roggeveen]] was the first European to sight the islands. [[missionary|Missionaries]] and traders arrived in the 1830s. Halfway through the 19th century, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States all claimed parts of the kingdom of [[Samoa]], and established [[trade post]]s. King [[Malietoa Leaupepe]] died in 1898 and was succeeded by Malietoa Tooa Mataafa. The US and British consuls supported [[Malietoa Tanu]], Leaupepe's son. US and British warships, including the [[USS Philadelphia (C-4)|USS ''Philadelphia'']] shelled [[Apia]] on 15 March 1899. After World War I, the [[League of Nations]] carved up Samoa. Britain and New Zealand took over the western islands which became 'Western Samoa' and USA claimed the eastern half of the country which became [[American Samoa]]. In 1962, Western Samoa became the first Pacific Island nation to gain political independence. In 1997, Samoa officially dropped the 'Western' from its name as it was an appendage from its colonial era. ===Solomon Islands=== {{main|History of the Solomon Islands}} The human history of the Solomon Islands begins with the first settlement at least 30,000 years ago from New Guinea. They represented the furthest expansion of humans into the Pacific Ocean until the expansion of [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian-language speakers]] through the area around 4000 BCE, bringing new agricultural and maritime technology. Most of the languages spoken today in the Solomon Islands derive from this era, but some thirty languages of the pre-Austronesian settlers survive ''(see [[East Papuan languages]]).'' The first European contact was that of Spanish explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] whose expedition first sighted [[Santa Isabel island]] on 7 February 1568. Finding signs of alluvial gold on Guadalcanal, Mendaña believed he had found the source of [[King Solomon]]'s wealth, and consequently named the islands "The Islands of Solomon". Many of the islands were also named by these explorers, including [[Guadalcanal]], the [[Santa Cruz Islands]], [[Makira|San Cristobal]], [[Owaraha|Santa Ana]] and Santa Isabel. In 1595 and 1605 Spain again sent several expeditions to find the islands and establish a colony, though these were unsuccessful. In 1767 Captain [[Philip Carteret]] rediscovered [[Santa Cruz Islands|Santa Cruz]] and [[Malaita]]. Later, Dutch, French and British navigators visited the islands; their reception was often hostile. ===Tahiti=== In the [[history of Tahiti]], Tahiti is estimated to have been settled by [[Polynesians]] between CE 300 and 800 coming from [[Tonga]] and [[Samoa]], although some estimates place the date earlier. The fertile island soil combined with [[fishing]] provided ample food for the population. Although the first European sighting of the islands was by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize the island. [[Samuel Wallis]], an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on 18 June 1767, and is considered the first European visitor to the island. The perceived relaxation and contented nature of the local people and the characterization of the island as a paradise much impressed early European visitors, planting the seed for a romanticization by the West that endures to this day. ===Taiwan=== {{main|History of Taiwan}} In the history of Taiwan, Aboriginal peoples ancestors are believed to have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major [[Han Chinese]] immigration began in the 17th century.<ref>[[Robert Blust|Blust, Robert]]. "Subgrouping, circularity and extinction: some issues in Austronesian comparative linguistics," (1999)</ref> The Taiwanese Aborigines are [[Austronesian people]]s, with linguistic and genetic ties to other Austronesian ethnic groups, such as peoples of the [[Philippines]], [[Malaysia]], [[Indonesia]] and Oceania.<ref>Hill et al., "A Mitochondrial Stratigraphy for Island Southeast Asia," (2007); Bird et al., "Populating PEP II: the dispersal of humans and agriculture through Austral-Asia and Oceania," (2004)</ref> Taiwan's Austronesian speakers were traditionally distributed over much of the island's rugged central mountain range and concentrated in villages along the alluvial plains. Today, the bulk of the contemporary Taiwanese Aborigine population reside in the mountains and the cities. The issue of an [[Ethnic group|ethnic identity]] unconnected to the Asian mainland has become one thread in the discourse regarding the political identity of [[Taiwan]]. The total population of Aborigines on Taiwan is around 458,000 as of January 2006,<ref>CIP, "Statistics of Indigenous Population in Taiwan and Fukien Areas," (2006)</ref> which is approximately 2% of Taiwan's population. ===Tokelau=== Archaeological evidence indicates that [[history of Tokelau]]'s atol—[[Atafu]], [[Nukunonu]], and [[Fakaofo]]—were settled about 1,000 years ago, probably by voyages from [[Samoa]], the [[Cook Islands]] and [[Tuvalu]]. Oral history traces local traditions and genealogies back several hundred years.<ref name="mfat">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Countries/Pacific/Tokelau.php|publisher=[[New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]]|title=Tokelau|accessdate=29 September 2007}}</ref> Inhabitants followed [[Polynesian mythology]] with the local god [[Tui Tokelau]]; and developed forms of music (see [[Music of Tokelau]]) and art. The three atolls functioned largely independently while maintaining social and linguistic cohesion. Tokelauan society was governed by chiefly [[clan]]s, and there were occasional inter-atoll skirmishes and [[war]]s as well as inter-marriage. Fakaofo, the "chiefly island,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fakaofo.tk/page001.html|title=Fakaofo|accessdate=29 September 2007}}</ref> held some dominance over Atafu and Nukunonu. Life on the atolls was subsistence-based, with reliance on [[fish]] and [[coconut]].<ref name="mfat"/> Commodore [[John Byron]] discovered [[Atafu]] on 24 June 1765 and named it "Duke of York's Island." Parties onshore reported that there were no signs of current or previous inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8lgBAAAAYAAJ|pages=132, 133|title=An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for making discoveries in the southern hemisphere and successfully performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Carteret, Captain Wallis and Captain Cook in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour|author1=John Byron |author2=John Samuel Wallis |author3=Philip Carteret |author4=James Cook |author5=Joseph Banks |year=1773|accessdate=29 September 2007|publisher=W. Strahan}}</ref><ref name="mac30">MacGregor, 30</ref> ===Tonga=== {{main|History of Tonga}} The history of [[Tonga]] stretches back to around roughly 1000&nbsp;AD,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCX3652100228&docType=Country+overview&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3652100228&searchId=R10&userGroupName=kutztownuniv&inPS=true|title=Gale - Enter Product Login|website=go.galegroup.com|access-date=2018-03-01}}</ref> when the [[Polynesians]] arrived. Tonga became known as the [[Tu'i Tonga Empire|Tongan Empire]] through extensive trading and its influence over parts of the Pacific (e.g. Fiji). The Europeans arrived in the 17th century which was followed after a couple hundred years by a single unified Tongan kingdom. Archaeological evidence shows that the first settlers in Tonga sailed from the [[Santa Cruz Islands]], as part of the original Austronesian-speakers' (Lapita) migration which originated out of southeast Asia some 6,000 years before present. Archaeological dating places Tonga as the oldest known site in Polynesia for the distinctive Lapita ceramic ware, at 2800–2750 years before present.{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}} ===Tuvalu=== {{main|History of Tuvalu}} {{see also|Timeline of the history of Tuvalu}} [[File:Tuvalu costume.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by [[Alfred Agate]] in 1841 during the [[United States Exploring Expedition]].]] The history of Tuvalu dates back to at least 1,000 years to when it was discovered and settled by [[Polynesians]]. the [[History of the Polynesian people|origins of the people of Tuvalu]] is addressed in the theories regarding the spread of humans out of Southeast Asia, from [[Taiwanese aborigines|Taiwan]], via [[Melanesia]] and across the Pacific islands to create [[Polynesia]].<ref name=Howe>{{cite book |last=Howe |first=Kerry |title=The Quest for Origins |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=New Zealand |isbn=0-14-301857-4 |pages=68, 70 }}</ref> During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the islands as [[Polynesian navigation]] skills are recognised to have allowed deliberate journeys on double-hull sailing canoes or [[outrigger canoe]]s.<ref name="Belwood1">{{cite book |last1= Bellwood|first1= Peter|authorlink1= |title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |url= |accessdate= |year= 1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page= |pages=39–44|chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref> Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were inhabited; thus the name, Tuvalu, means "eight standing together" in [[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]]. The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from the [[Samoa]]n Islands into the Tuvaluan atolls, with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to migration into the [[Polynesian outliers|Polynesian Outlier communities]] in [[Melanesia]] and [[Micronesia]].<ref name="Belwood2">{{cite book |last1= Bellwood|first1= Peter|authorlink1= |title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |url= |accessdate= |year= 1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page= |pages=29 & 54|chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref><ref name="Bayard">{{cite book |last1=Bayard|first1=D.T.|authorlink1= |title=The Cultural Relationships of the Polynesian Outiers |url= |accessdate= |year= 1976 |publisher=Otago University, Studies in Prehistoric Anthropology, Vol. 9|location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page= |pages=|chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref><ref name="Kirch">{{cite book |last1=Kirch|first1=P.V.|authorlink1= |title=The Polynesian Outiers |url= |accessdate= |year= 1984 |publisher=95 (4) Journal of Pacific History|location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=224–238 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref> In 1568 Spanish navigator [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira|Álvaro de Mendaña]] was the first European to sail through the islands and sighted [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] during his expedition in search of [[Terra Australis]]. European explorers did not return until two centuries later. In 1819 the island of [[Funafuti]] was named Ellice's Island; the name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English hydrographer [[Alexander George Findlay]] (1812–1876).<ref>''A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean: With Description of Its Coasts, Islands, Etc. from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea'' (1851)</ref> The islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British [[protectorate]] by Captain Gibson R.N., of [[HMS Curacoa (1878)|HMS ''Curacoa'']], between 9 and 16 October 1892.<ref name="TAHNPT">{{cite book |last1=Noatia P. Teo, Hugh Larcy (ed)|first1= |authorlink1= |title=Tuvalu: A History|url= |accessdate= |year= 1983 |publisher= University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu|location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page= |pages=127–139|chapter= Chapter 17, Colonial Rule |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref> The Ellice Islands were administered as British protectorate by a [[Resident Commissioner]] from 1892 to 1916 as part of the [[British Western Pacific Territories]] (BWPT), and later as part of the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] colony from 1916 to 1974.<ref>Macdonald, Barrie (2001) ''Cinderellas of the Empire: towards a history of Kiribati and Tuvalu'', Institute of Pacific Studies, [[University of the South Pacific]], Suva, Fiji, {{ISBN|982-02-0335-X}}</ref> A [[Ellice Islands self-determination referendum, 1974|referendum was held in December 1974]] to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration.<ref name=N>Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p. 831, {{ISBN|0-19-924959-8}}</ref> As a consequence of the referendum, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony ceased to exist on 1 January 1976 and the separate British colonies of [[Kiribati]] and Tuvalu came into existence.<ref name="TAHTI">''Tuvalu: A History'', Chapter 20, Secession and Independence, pp. 153–177</ref><ref name="TPBN">{{cite journal|first=W. David|last= McIntyre |title = The Partition of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands|url= http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-7-1-2012-McIntyre.pdf|year=2012|volume= 7 |issue=1|journal= Island Studies Journal |pages=135–146}}</ref> Tuvalu became fully independent within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] on 1 October 1978. On 17 September 2000 Tuvalu became the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1290|189th member of the United Nations]]. ===Vanuatu=== {{main|History of Vanuatu}} In the history of Vanuatu, the commonly held theory of [[Vanuatu]]'s [[prehistory]] from archaeological evidence supports that peoples speaking [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] [[language]]s first came to the islands some 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/png/report/index.htm "A Pacific engaged: Australias (sic) relations with Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027181719/http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/png/report/index.htm |date=27 October 2007 }}, Australian Senate, 12 August 2003, p.288</ref> [[Pottery]] fragments have been found dating back to 1300 BC<ref>Ron Adams, [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-53977 "History (from Vanuatu)"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', 2006</ref> What little is known of the pre-European contact history of Vanuatu has been gleaned from oral histories and legends. One important early king was [[Roy Mata]], who united several tribes, and was buried in a large mound with several retainers. The first European contact with Vanuatu came in 1606, when a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese explorer [[Pedro Fernández de Quirós]] discovered [[Espiritu Santo]], naming it ''Australia del Espiritu Santo'', believing he had arrived in the southern [[continent]]. Europeans did not return until 1768, when [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville]] rediscovered the islands. ===Other islands=== [[History of American Samoa]] begins with inhabitation as early as 1000 BC, Samoa was not reached by European explorers until the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Bougainville.html|title=Bougainville biography|website=www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk|access-date=2016-09-19}}</ref> The [[history of Baker Island]] began when the United States of America took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island – as well as on nearby [[Howland Island]] – but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a [[day beacon]] is situated near the middle of the west coast. In the [[history of Brunei]], the [[Sultanate]] of ''[[Brunei]]'' was very powerful from the fourteenth to the 16th century AD. Its realm covered the northern part of [[Borneo]] and the southwestern [[Philippines]]. European influence gradually brought an end to this [[regional power]]. Later, there was a brief war with Spain, in which Brunei was victorious. The decline of the [[Bruneian Empire]] culminated in the 19th century when Brunei lost much of its territory to the [[White Rajahs]] of [[Sarawak]], resulting in its current small landmass and separation into two parts. Brunei was a British [[protectorate]] from 1888 to 1984. Westerners arrived in [[Caroline Islands]] in 1525, by the Portuguese [[Diogo da Rocha]] and his pilot [[Gomes de Sequeira]], naming them the ''Sequeira Islands''. At about the same time, in 1526, they were sighted by the Spanish [[Toribio Alonso de Salazar]], he called them "Carolinas" after the emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Carlos I of Spain, and Charles V of Holy Roman Empire]]. Though early Spanish navigators in the area (from 1543) called them the ''Nuevas Filipinas'' ("New Philippines"), Admiral [[Francisco Lazeano]] named them the ''Carolinas'' after the Spanish King [[Charles II of Spain|Charles II]] in 1686.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quanchi |first1=Max |last2=Robson |first2=John |title=Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands |publisher=Scarecrow Press |date=October 18, 2005 |page=112 |url= https://books.google.ca/books?id=FUwDzM94jGUC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112}} </ref> In the [[history of French Polynesia]], the French Polynesian island groups do not share a common history before the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. The first French Polynesian islands to be settled by [[Polynesians]] were the [[Marquesas Islands]] in AD 300 and the [[Society Islands]] in AD 800. The Polynesians were organized in petty [[chieftainship]]s.<ref name=KMLA1797>{{cite web|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/pacific/frpolynpre1797.html|title=History of Polynesia, before 1797|first=Alexander|last=Ganse|accessdate=20 October 2007}}</ref> European discovery in the [[History of the Galapagos Islands]] occurred when Dominican [[Fray Tomás de Berlanga]], the fourth Bishop of [[Panama]], sailed to [[Peru]] to settle a dispute between [[Francisco Pizarro]] and his lieutenants. De Berlanga's vessel drifted off course when the winds diminished, and his party reached the islands on 10 March 1535. According to a 1956 study by [[Thor Heyerdahl]] and Arne Skjølsvold, remains of potsherds and other artifacts from several sites on the islands suggest visitation by South American peoples prior to the arrival of the Spanish. [[History of Howland Island|Historical evidence suggests that Howland Island]] was the site of prehistoric settlement, which may have extended down to [[Rawaki Island|Rawaki]], [[Kanton Island|Kanton]], [[Manra Island|Manra]] and [[Orona]] of the [[Phoenix Islands]] 500 to 700&nbsp;km southeast. This settlement might have taken the form of a single community utilising several adjacent islands, but the hard life on these isolated islands, together with the uncertainty of fresh water supplies, led to an extinction of or dereliction by the settled peoples, in such a way that other islands in the area (such as [[Kiritimati]] and [[Pitcairn Island|Pitcairn]]) were abandoned.<ref>Irwin, pp. 176–179.</ref> Such settlements probably began around 1000 BC, when eastern [[Melanesia]]ns travelled north.<ref>Suárez 2004, p. 17.</ref> The [[history of Jarvis Island]] begins with the island's first known sighting by Europeans was on 21 August 1821 by the British ship ''Eliza Francis'' (or ''Eliza Frances'') owned by Edward, Thomas and William Jarvis<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jarvisisland.info/north_pacific_pilot.html#282 |title=North Pacific Pilot page 282 |accessdate=26 January 2007 |format=png |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211192130/http://jarvisisland.info/north_pacific_pilot.html#282 |archivedate=11 February 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.mq.edu.au/scnsw/Cases1833-34/html/r_v_higgins_and_others__1833.htm |title=R. v. Higgins, Fuller, Anderson, Thomas, Belford and Walsh |accessdate=25 January 2007 |work=legal proceeding }}</ref> and commanded by Captain Brown. In March 1857 the uninhabited island was claimed for the United States under the [[Guano Islands Act]] and formally annexed on 27 February 1858. In the [[history of Marquesas Islands]], the first recorded settlers of the [[Marquesas]] were [[Polynesians]], who, from archеological evidence, are believed to have arrived before 100 AD. Ethnological and linguistic evidence suggests that they likely arrived from the region of [[Tonga]] and [[Samoa]]. The islands were given their name by the Spanish explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] who reached them on 21 July 1595. He named them after his patron, [[García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete]], who was [[Viceroy of Peru]] at the time. Mendaña visited first [[Fatu Hiva]] and then [[Tahuata]] before continuing on to the [[Solomon Islands]]. In the [[history of Melanesia]], the original inhabitants of the islands now named Melanesia were likely the ancestors of the present day Papuan-speaking people. These people are thought to have occupied New Guinea tens of millennia ago and reached the islands 35,000 years ago (according to radiocarbon dating).<!--It should be stated where they came from before they got to Papua and the Pacific Islands.--> They appear to have occupied these islands as far east as the main islands in the Solomon Islands (i.e., including [[Makira|San Cristobal]]) and perhaps even to the smaller islands farther to the east.<ref>{{cite journal| author=Dunn, Michael, Angela Terrill, Ger Reesink, Robert A. Foley, Stephen C. Levinson| year=2005| title=Structural Phylogenetics and the Reconstruction of Ancient Language History| journal=Science| volume=309| pages=2072–2075| doi=10.1126/science.1114615| pmid=16179483| issue=5743| ref=harv | bibcode=2005Sci...309.2072D}}</ref> The ancestors of the Micronesians in the [[history of Micronesia]] settled there over 4,000 years ago. A decentralized chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralized economic and religious empire centered on [[Yap]]. European explorers – first the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] in search of the [[Maluku Islands|Spice Islands]] ([[Indonesia]]) and then the Spanish – reached the Carolines in the 16th century, with the Spanish establishing sovereignty. Researchers of the [[History of the Marshall Islands]] agree on little more than that successive waves of [[human migration|migratory]] peoples from Southeast Asia spread across the Western Pacific about 3,000 years ago, and that some of them landed on and remained on these islands. The Spanish explorer [[Alonso de Salazar]] landed there in 1529. They were named for English [[explorer]] [[John Marshall (British captain)|John Marshall]], who visited them in 1799. The Marshall Islands were claimed by Spain in 1874. Following [[papal]] mediation and German compensation of $4.5 million, Spain recognized Germany's claim in 1885, which established a [[protectorate]] and set up trading stations on the islands of [[Jaluit]] and [[Ebon Atoll|Ebon]] to carry out the flourishing [[copra]] (dried [[coconut]] meat) trade. Marshallese Iroij (high chiefs) continued to rule under indirect colonial German administration. In the [[History of the Society Islands]], the archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain [[James Cook]] in honor of the [[Royal Society]], sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook states in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another".<ref>[[Tony Horwitz|Horwitz, Tony]]. Oct. 2003, ''Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before'', Bloomsbury, {{ISBN|0-7475-6455-8}}</ref> In the [[history of Tuamotu]], the Tuamotus were first discovered by a Spanish expedition led by [[Ferdinand Magellan]] in 1521. From the [[Inca Empire]], [[Tupac Inca Yupanqui]] is also credited with leading a nearly 10-month voyage of exploration into the Pacific around 1480. None of these visits were of political consequence, the islands being in the sphere of influence of the [[Pomare dynasty]] of Tahiti. At the beginning 18th century the first Christian missionaries arrived. The islands' pearls penetrated the European market in the late 19th century, making them a coveted possession. Following the forced abdication of [[Pomare V|King Pomare V]] of Tahiti, the islands were annexed as an overseas territory of France ==See also== * [[Pacific Islands]] * [[Exploration of the Pacific]] * [[List of countries and islands by first human settlement]] ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} 27. “Reconstructing History: Literature, History, and Anthropology in the Pacific.” Ed. Cynthia Klekar. Special Issue of ''The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation'' 49, no. 3 (Fall, 2008). Introduction, 193-96. {{DEFAULTSORT:History of the Pacific Islands}} [[Category:History of the Pacific Ocean]] [[Category:History of Oceania]] [[Category:Prehistoric Oceania]] [[Category:History by region]]'