The Change of Polynesian Islands - Essay Example

The Change of Polynesian Islands Introduction Changing the lifestyle of a certain group of people has been atrend since long time. Westernization is the principal factor that necessitates a change in the lifestyle. It leads to adoption of modern ways of living. This is through colonization, and or intervention of the western people to the area they need to acquire. This essay primarily concerns about changes of the inhabitants of Polynesia Islands. It looks into who and how the changes affected tradition of Polynesians. Here in, are reasons for construction of a naval base at Pearl Harbor. The lifestyle of people in Polynesia In Polynesia Islands, the inhabitants held in their tradition and customary beliefs, which according to them were sacred and involved principles of the olden days. Polynesians lived as a family, as their community was a centered type. Community centered refers to a community where people live as one exhibiting cordial relations. The reason for referring Polynesians as people of a self-centered culture is that they aimed at ensuring the survival of all people living in these islands (specifically, all Polynesians) (Craig 6). Moreover, the best way of surviving was through a proper utilization of the available resources. Proper allocation of the resources necessitated a good stay. Living by strictly observing the cultural norms was very crucial especially in various distinct places within the Polynesian islands, as it helped them be strong. How Polynesians lived Polynesians had very little knowledge regarding modern ways of living. This denotes the reason why they only believed in the tradition of Polynesia. According to Polynesia French Country Study Guide (53), Polynesians lived differently according to how they would adapt to the conditions of an island. Polynesia Islands’ navigators made use of the oral traditions to spot routing ways. Moving from one island to another was by water machinery available and personally made by Polynesians. Polynesian navigators had unique ways of locating the direction of where they need to sail. Primarily, locating sites was through recollection of essential information including moving of particular stars, knowledge about the horizon, the weather (which depicted the best time to travel, by having a concern about the change in clouds) (Lockard 92). To ensure security during their travel, navigators never revealed how they managed to sail from one region to another. Intervention of Polynesia islandsby western imperialists Imperialist are people who enact force when invading a region of their interest. They believe that ability to manage the inhabitants of a region is by changing the constitution of the region. Managing individuals was through knowledge of the rules and morals set by their forefathers. Western imperialists grew interest in changing perception of the Polynesian inhabitants concerning their tradition. Purposely, Western people invented Polynesian islands with an aim of improving the economy and obtaining more territories useful during oncoming World War II (Lockard 706). However, the change was not as easy as the Westerns expected. This was because Polynesians never believed of evading their traditions, as they were a guideline to their way of living. Adopting modern culture meant that they accepted the western way of ruling. They would then become part of colonized cities of the Western imperialists. The strategy used by westerners to pursue their economic benefit The western people have unique strategies of acquiring territories of their desire. They planned on what strategy to use on various states depending on the strength of those states. For instance, an increase in the provisions of a particular region attracts westerners, because it portrays the economic strength of that region (Lockard 853). By acquiring more land, westerners turn the inhabitants into slaves working on their lands. This helped in ensuring that cultivation was at the preferable time. The output is useful for trading purposes, and hence an advancement on the financial status of the western region. Additionally, the power to obtain extra territories may also depend on the style of leadership. A state headed by elders is more likely to be under the intervention. On the other hand, a state with leaders using the totalitarian leadership style may take more time being a full intervention of the land. However, western intervention to Polynesia was a bit difficult due to their culture. Impact of intervention of western imperialists on the connection between Polynesian islands Forceful intervention of lands and states has never been a proper way of increasing territories. Such an intervention results inthe disintegration of the relationship between various people. It also facilitates a rise in conflicts responsible for facilitating imperialism (Lockard 591). Conflicts deter the existence of desired harmony of individuals of various communities. The western imperialists aimed at obtaining a state to be of great use during the time of war. Through imposing a different style of ruling, Polynesians gave in without considering the effects that would result from the assimilation. The intervention resulted in separation of most of the inhabitants of Polynesia. This is because some moved to further islands. Moreover, there was an effect on the culture of the Polynesians. This is due to the reason that western imperialists took full control over the islands and made the inhabitants adopt modern western cultures. To solve conflicts, rulers wishing to obtain some part a particular state should engage into a political talk. There should also be proper negotiation tactics to help bring into being cordial relations. Impact of construction of the naval base at Pearl Harbor United States of America was responsible for constructing the naval base at Pearl Harbor was primarily to ensure there is a clear observation of how military actions of different states were advancing. United States of America had learned about the policy of Japanese to expand. To solve arising conflicts involving battle on marine areas, United States of America constructed the naval base (Kowner 146). They kept on recruiting more armies over a certain period to act as a stronghold of the European power in case of a conflict that would result in war. Construction by people from the United States was primarily behind the motive of winning the war. However, the Japanese planned for the attack, which resulted to massive killing of the European solders. This left Polynesia as an area to accommodate all and in the safe hands of the government. Therefore, it is worth stating that the principal reason for the existence of the naval base was to ensure security through the period. Summary and conclusion To sum up, Polynesia islands are several and situated in a distinctive area in French. There are over a thousand islands in Polynesia and Polynesians are its inhabitants. There was the building of a marine base at Pearl Harbor by the United States of America. The ground for construction of the maritime base was in military use. The base was a training ground of the army, preparation in case of war. It is evident that individuals need to be ready for war is unpredictable. This is evident when the Pearl Harbor attack led to massive killing of the Americans, as they had not been aware. It is also worth noting that training is not an indicator of winning. The death of the European Armies evidences this. Necessitating negotiations are of significant to hinder killing resulting from poor interaction of leaders of diverse states. Therefore, it is of importance concluding that, traditions of a particular culture can indicate swaying of the individuals adopt the cultures of other nations. It is also significant to indicate that individuals should take time to have a good plan on how to carry out various activities. Works cited Craig, Robert D. Handbook of Polynesian Mythology. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print. Polynesia French Country Study Guide.S.l.: Int'L Business Pub Usa, 2009. Print. Lockard, Craig A. Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History.Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print. Kowner, Rotem. The Impact of the Russo-Japanese War. Taylor & Francis e-Library pub, New York, 2006. Print Read More