POLYNESIA 



Lying almost entirely within the tropic*. :tinl 

 consisting nearly everywhere of igneous or coralline 

 groups exposed to the same atmospheric and 

 marine currents, Polynesia presents great nni- 

 fnrmity in ita climatic and biological conditions. In 

 these respects, however, New Zealand Iwlongs to a 

 separate world, thanks to its large extent, lofty 

 ranges, different geological history, and high 

 southern latitude. But even in Fiji, Tahiti, 

 Samoa, the Solomon and Hawaiian groups, with 

 volcanic cones ranging from 1000 to nearly 14,000 

 feet, less variety is presented by the different local 

 floras than might be expected from their great 

 altitude. Almost everywhere the prevailing winds 

 are the moist south-east trades, which in summer 

 veer round to the west and north-west. But these 

 winds also bring moisture-bearing clouds, so that 

 the rainfall is generally high, in the Solomons 

 excessive (150 inches), in Hawaii 60 to 80, and 

 in New Caledonia over 40. But many of the 

 atolls, being too low to arrest the currents, receive 

 very little moisture, and in some places constitute 

 a rainless zone, as indicated by the accumulated 

 deposits of guano. The mean temperature is about 

 70 F. both in Hawaii and New Caledonia (about 

 the two tropics), with an extreme range from 50" 

 to 90 F. But the climate, except in New Caledonia 

 and New Zealand, is everywhere relaxing, and in 

 the Solomons and other large islands malarious up 

 to considerable altitudes. 



In the coralline groups the flora is essentially 

 oceanic, the prevailing species being the cocoa-nut 

 and one or two other palms, the pandanus and 

 bread-fruit tree, and such edible roots as yams, taro, 

 and sweet potatoes. Besides these forms, the large 

 archijielagoes have a rich forest vegetation, mostly 

 belonging to the Papuasian and Australian zones, 

 with some American and a few indigenous plants. 

 Hence the prevalence of casuarinas, dammaras, 

 araucarias, tree-ferns, besides myrtles, ebony, and 

 the banyan fig. Highly specialised forms are the 

 New Caledonian niauli (Melaleuca leuciulenilrun), 

 which yields the cajeput-oil, and the Hawaiian 

 oleaginous kid-in and gigantic halapepe (Brancli- 

 leya), with foliage like that of the pandanus. As 

 manv as 1300 distinct species have been discovered 

 in tfew Caledonia, and nearly 1400 in Fiji, of 

 which 1 100 are phanerogamous. 



In nmtrast with the relatively rich flora is the 

 remarkably poor fauna, especially in mammals. 

 The dog and pig were found both in the Solomons 

 and Hawaii at the time of their discovery ; but ln h 

 appear to have been introduced in comparatively 

 recent times. The only undoubtedly indigenous 

 mammals in these and the other Polynesian group-* 

 are two or three species of rodents (rats and mice 1 

 and a few varieties of the bat family. Even 

 reptiles and insects are rare, being chiefly represented 

 by three small lizards in Hawaii, one snake, one 

 scorpion, one centipede, and a spider in New 

 Caledonia, a few snakes and frogs in Fiji, and in 

 East Polynesia by only one venomous animal, a 

 centipede. Fiji is the easternmost limit of the 

 frog and the Solomons of the crocodile, which here 

 adapts itself both to fresh and salt water alxmt the 

 rivers and estuaries. Birds are everywhere more 

 numerous, 107 species occurring in New Caledonia, 

 46 in Fiji, and 40 in Hawaii, these last including 

 the oo (Moho nobilit), whose lovely black and 

 yellow pllUMaeiinMd for decora! ing royal mantles. 



In recent time* no branch of ethnologx ha* Keen 

 more carefully M udied than that which deals with 

 the origin, migrations, physical features, languages, 

 and traditions of the Oceanic peoples. But so 

 intricate are their mutual relations that tin-difficult 

 anthro|M>logical and linguistic problems suggested 

 by a comparative study of these peoples are still 

 far from solved. There is, however, a general 



consensus that Polynesia has been occupied from 

 prehistoric times by two distinct races, the dark 

 Melanesia!)*, who lielong to the same .-lock as the 

 Papuans of New Guinea and Malaysia, ami the 

 In-own Polynesian*, called also Mahori and Sawaiori, 

 whose racial affinities have not been satisfactorily 

 determined. By different writers they have been 

 allied to the Mongoloid Malays, to the Aryans or 

 Caucasians, to the American aborigines, and even 

 to the Melanesians. But the difference between 

 the Polynesians and Mclanesians must lie regarded 

 as fundamental. The former are brachycephalous 

 (round headed, with high cephalic index), ortho- 

 gnat lions, narrow-nosed, of a light-brown r<tf< mi 

 iait colour, with round orbits and block lank haii, 

 and next to the Patagonians the tallest people on 

 the globe (mean height, 5 feet 10 inches). The Md 

 anesians are dolicliocephalous (long headed, with 

 the lowest cephalic index of any race ), prognathous, 

 broad-nosed, of a sooty black colour, with low 

 orbits, black friz/.ly hair, ami low stature (mean 

 height, 5 feet 5 inches). 



The Melane*ian* appear to be the indigenous 

 element in the Pacific, where they formerly occu- 

 pied a much wider domain than at present, for 

 traces of black blood are found in Samoa, New 

 Zealand, and even as far east as the Marquesas 

 (Whitinee). They also stand at a lower stage of 

 culture, being undoubted cannibals, in many places 

 head-hunters, extremely savage, blood-thirsty and 

 treacherous, scarcely recognising any hereditary 

 chiefs, and often forming independent hostile 

 groups at perpetual feud with their neighbours. 



The Polynesians, who closely resemble the Indo- 

 nesians of the Malay Archipelago (see MALAYS), 

 seem to be later arrivals almost certainly from 

 Malaysia to Samoa, whence they gradually spread 

 from island to island over all the eastern archi- 

 pelagoes, more recently sending colonies westwards 

 to Melanesia and even to New Guinea. Hence 

 Sawaiori settlement* and mixed Sawaiori .Mela 

 ne*ian communities are now found in the eastern 

 parts of Fiji, in the New Hebrides (Nine, Futuna, 

 Mel, and Fil), in the Loyalty group (Uvea), in 

 British New Guinea (Motu), and generally in 

 Micronesia. That Samoa was the centre of dis- 

 persion is shown by the recurrence of such geo- 

 graphical terms as Samoa and Savaii (originally 

 Savaiki), the largest island of the archipelago, 

 nniler diverse dialectic forms (Hamoa, Amoa, 

 Hawaii, Havaiki. Hawaiki, Avaiki), either in the 

 geographical nomenclature or in the traditions 

 and m\ ihologies of all the Polynesian islanders 

 from New Zealand to Hawaii. 



In Easter Island (Kupanui) and the Carolines 

 (Ponape, Lele, Ualan) are found numerous cyclo- 

 pean monuments, huge monolithic statues, paved 

 avenues, ramparts or walls of basalt blocks over 

 30 feet long, brought from great distances. None 

 of the. present races could erect such stiucture* MS 

 these, all memory of which has died out. They 

 have lieen referred to the cultured peoples of 

 America, and the features of the Easter Island 

 (q.v.) statues are said to resemble the Bolivian 

 Axmaras, though others have recognised a Papuan 

 ca'st in the specimens preserved in the British 

 Museum. Skulls of a Papuan tjpe have also l>een 

 found in Easter Island, but if the monuments 

 were erected by these natives, it must have been 

 nniler the direction of builder* *uch as the Hindu 

 mi**ionaries who raised the stupendous temple* ot 

 Java and Indo-China by training Malay and Cam- 

 bodian craftsmen for the work. 



Nearly all the Pacific languages appear to be 

 memliers of the great Malayo-Polynesian family, 

 which stretches across two oceans, from Mada- 

 gascar to Kapanui. However it is to be explained, 

 the fact is now established that both the dark and 



