CHAPTER VI. 
GEOGRAPHY OF THE MIGRATIONS. 
When we essay to set upon charts of the island regions the linguistic 
data presented in the foregoing chapters, we find our studies clarified 
in certain particulars and complicated in yet others. In the course 
of these studies every one of the vocables developed in the examina- 
tion of the Sissano material has been entered on large-scale charts 
of Indonesia and of Melanesia respectively. ‘These results have 
been checked by similar graphic entry of all the vocables discussed in 
“The Polynesian Wanderings” and in ‘‘The Subanu.” It results, 
therefore, that we have delineated in terms of geography the great 
bulk of that element of one or more languages of Polynesia which can 
be identified as common with one or more languages of Indonesia, 
and for the most part which has been discovered in languages of 
Melanesia. These individual charts have been consolidated for the 
establishment of the more general and characteristic tracks of speech 
movement and are now open for discussion. 
Before engaging our attention with the tracks of speech movement 
it will be well to devote our attention to the cultural areas of Melan- 
esia. So far as relates to the present investigation we assume the 
practical uniformity of the culture of Indonesia and of Polynesia. 
It is true that in many particulars each of these areas exhibits con- 
siderable variety of social order and its manner and custom is by no 
means uniform, but in the present study our purpose will best be 
served by assuming two practically uniform societies, and by exam- 
ining the intervening Melanesian area as the field whereupon we 
shall observe the interchange of these diverse cultures. 
Because the social order of Melanesia is as yet too scantily known 
we can not work surely in dissecting out purely Melanesian material. 
But we must bear in mind that Melanesia, before it fell under the 
influence of Polynesian culture at one period and of Indonesian 
culture at another and probably much later period, surely had at 
least one culture group of its own. In the present state of our infor- 
mation there is a suggestion at least worthy of consideration that 
three somewhat distinct cultures have occupied diverse regions in 
Melanesia. Quite provisionally and merely for convenience I propose 
the subdivision into Buka culture as designating the social state of 
the northern Solomons and the eastern Bismarck Archipelago; Solo- 
mon culture for the southern Solomons and adjacent islands; New 
Hebridean culture for southern Melanesia. It is very doubtful that 
the culture of New Caledonia and the adjacent Loyalty Islands may 
be included in the proximate New Hebridean culture; there seems 
something far more archaic and certainly far less mixed with alien 
I5I 
