Oceania - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... Polynesia is made up of more than 1000 islands spread over central and South Pacific Ocean. The occupants of Polynesian are called Polynesians. According to the history, the occupants were sailors who used stars to determine night hours. The land is about 70 million sq miles of Pacific Ocean. Polynesia is made up of two different cultural groups, east and west Polynesia. The culture of west belong to high populations, it is made up of well build institutions of marriage, well developed judiciary, financial and trading traditions. The groups that occupy this area are the Tonga, Niue, Samoa and Polynesian outliers. According to the (Richard, 2011) the eastern part is adapted to small islands such as cook, islands, Tuamotus, Marquesas, Hawaii, and Rapa Nui. The leaders were appointed based on their blood hereditary. The settlement in the area was of two categories, the hamlet and village, the size of an island was the determining factor on whether the hamlet or a village will be build. In the large volcanic islands, the hamlet was mainly built because of many zones; these zones could be divided all over the islands. Villages were established on the coast of small islands and it consist of 40 or more houses. Melanesia extends from Arafura Sea to the western part of Pacific Ocean, and Fiji to the east. The people occupying the region are called Melanesians and are believed to be he ancestors of Papuan speaking people. The number of languages in Melanesia is about 1320 and they are scattered across the land. The leaders were appointed based on the individual personality not through inheritance or blood like the Polynesians. The key components for leadership were power of persuasion, selecting high placed woman as a partner and many other physical factors. Micronesia lies to the Melanesia to the south and to the east is Polynesia; Philippines to the west and Indonesia to southwest. Micronesia is made up of 607 islands and it has four states, Chuuk, Yap, island of Kosrae and Ponpei. The original languages of Micronesia indigenous people are in a class of Austronesia language family (Richard, 2011). The island was colonized by Spain in 17thcen. Later on the Germans purchased it from the Spanish in 1899. The Japanese fought out the Germans from the island in 1915 but American forces took over from the Japanese during the world war 11. The Micronesia culture is one of the last to develop in the region; it is a mixture of Melanesians, Polynesians, and Filipinos. One of the main ethnic groups in the region is Fijians. Fijians arrived at Fiji when it was already occupied by the Melanesians, but Melanesians was still weak since they were still new in the area. Due to their strong war tools, they managed to fight out Melanesians and occupy the area. Due to the conflict between the two groups, Fiji ends up being a place of relentless and bloody conflict. The early missionaries and traders who visited the islands show the details of extreme violence and cannibalism. In the Fijian culture, warfare, cannibalism and religion were interdependent (Richard, 2011). The traditional rights and customs demand bodies and sacrifices to be carried out for the security of the society, at the same time for a war to be carried out successfully; it needs the mediation of priest and the help from ...Download file to see next pagesRead More