How Polynesians Came Into

The Pacific

New Angies on a Fascinating Subject

By A. C. Rowland, Papeete. Tahiti

AN outline of what I believe to be the sequence of Polynesian migrations may be of interest.

To my mind, the error most investi gators make is their presumption of pre cipitant mass migrations from the early Polynesian homeland in Indonesia into the Pacific. I think the evidence is rather of an orderly evacuation, extend ing over a considerable period.

The culture of the Polynesian race in Indonesia was, undoubtedly, of a high order, and their leaders were men of sound judgment and broad vision. Fore seeing the inevitable fate of their Indo nesian islands under the increasing pressure of Malay aggression from the Asiatic mainland, they sent pioneer expeditions along the chain of islands to the eastward in quest of new lands suit able for settlement.

These exploring expeditions were wise enough not to attempt the conquest of the thickly inhabited Melanesian main islands. They found, however, a succes sion of smaller marginal islands —suitable for the growing of crops to serve as supply stations for larger expeditions— which could easily be defended against the non-maritime inhabitants of the large Melanesian islands.

Exentually, the pioneers discovered the object of their quest in the island, Savai’i, of the Samoan group.

As is natural, under such circum stances, the first to be evacuated from the homeland, were the more peaceable agricultural classes and their families, under adequate convoys of warriors; while the main warrior classes, together with the high-chiefs of regal rank and their higher nobility, remained behind to oppose the invader.

Other pioneers, in the meanwhile, had penetrated to the Caroline Islands. It is most probable that when the final catas trophe came in Indonesia, the regal chiefs and their warriors, driven from island to island toward the north-east, finally withdrew to the Carolines (instead of following the course of the earlier migrants) where they found territory ample for their requirements. fIIHE early migration of agriculturist X Polynesians (under inferior chiefs) had quickly over-populated Savai’i, in the Samoan archipelago, and new expeditions were undertaken from that centre.

These expeditions, which carried ex ploration to the Leeward Islands of the Society Archipelago, were, no doubt, undertaken in a leisurely manner; for they carried with them and established such food plants as the breadfruit, taro and coconut, brought to the Samoan Islands from the Indonesian Havaiki by the original migrants.

But, if subsequent Polynesian history is any guide, there came a day when the jealousy of rival chiefs on Savai’i shat tered the peace of the settlement. The defeated party—composed of chiefs of the highest rank in Savai’i, the principal members of the sacerdotal class and numerous followers —took to their ships and sailed to the east to establish on Ra’iatea another Havaiki, destined to become the centre of religion and polity for all Central and Eastern Polynesia.

The break with Savai’i was final. It is significant that, in the period of the

widespread Ao-tea-ao-uri Confedera tion, which extended even to New Zea land, the Samoan Islands were excluded from the league.

WE find another Havaiki as the reputed ancient name of the atoll Fakarava, in the Tuamotu Archipelago. This indicates another palae-Polynesian centre, from which radiated expeditions of exploration and settlement—to the adja cent atolls, to the Marquesas and, most probably, from that archipelago (by way of Malden and Fanning Islands) to Hawaii in the north.

The sweet potato is not the only evi dence which leads us to believe that the pioneer Polynesians found descendants of immigrants from South America inhabit ing the Marquesas, the Tuamotu atolls and, perhaps, the Society Islands. We are inclined to believe that cannibalism which, probably, began as a ritualistic practice in the worship of their gods in South America, became—under the stress of drought and famine in the bleak Easter and Tuamotu Islands —a more general custom.

The cult of the sun-god Tane was most certainly of South American origin; as was the sanctity of red feathers which, in the ritual of worship, became the vehicle of the divine essence.

The crowns of red tufa, which once adorned the images on Easter Island were, manifestly, intended to represent the elaborate red-feather head-dresses of the South American continent.

Tane, the sun-god. is invariably named in esoteric chants. Tane-ahu-ura (Tane of the crimson feather cloak).

It is to the lasting honour of the chiefs of Ra'iatea that they kept cannibalism out of the Society Islands.

The Polvnesians who settled in the Tuamotu and Marauesas Islands were probably rebels against authority who

were compelled to depart with their fol lowers. They amalgamated with the South American settlers and in due time learned some very horrid habits.

The South American priesthood must have been, by contrast, a very superior body of wise men, for they succeeded in influencing the Polynesian high priests to overthrow the ancient Polynesian god of the realm of the sky and upper world (Atea) and enthrone in his stead the sun-god Tane-ahu-ura. In the chants taught to the common people, this war in heaven was represented as having ended in a stalemate; for it would never have done to question the immortality of the gods and thus arouse questionings and heretical doctrines. But, in the esoteric chants, Tane—armed with divine power by the mysterious All-Source against whom Atea had sinned—over threw and slew Atea and henceforth reigned in Central Polynesia, as the pro tector and benefactor of mankind. rE period of exploration and migra tion having come to an end. Poly nesia, for several centuries, appears to have settled down to such measure of stability and tranquility as the rest less and contumacious human race can achieve in any age or climate—probably wholly unconscious of the menace brew ing in the far away Caroline Islands.

The regal high chiefs, their priesthood, and their warrior clans, had fought the last battles on the islands of Indonesia and had found sanctuary in the Caro lines from enemies who, when they had achieved their main objectives did not trouble to undertake fresh adventures.

Established on the fertile islands. Ponape and Kusaie, the royal Polynesians con tented themselves with the sovreignty over a far-flung island empire. We do not know if they erected the megalithic structures on Ponape and on Kusaie; but they probably did. These lordly high chiefs —and particularly their priests— had ancestral memories of such struc tures in the ancient cradle-land of the race—somewhere in India.

Subsequent events indicate that Mon goloid coolies were brought in to perform the heavy labour. For the daring Poly nesian navigators the coast of China was not very far away and, in those primi tive times, suitable presents of pearls and pearl shell from Pacific atolls were suffi cient to induce Mongolian chiefs to bar ter away the persons of their humble subjects.

As came to pass many centuries later in another group of islands we could name, the Caroline chiefs, by this pro cedure, planted the seeds of their own destruction.

Human pride having continued un altered through the ages, one is inclined to believe that when the edifices were completed the Caroline high chiefs did not modestly enjoy the consciousness of duty well performed. Heralds were despatched to proclaim their greatness and to invite the dignitaries of other lands to come and view the splendour of “Progress” and "Development.” Tourist bureaus, no doubt, were instituted, “lux ury liners” built, and all manner of stately ceremonies, temple dances, sol emn processions staged—(with plenty of whoopee thrown in during the intervals) —to amuse the visitors.

The Mongoloid chiefs came, saw. and returned home to counsel with one another how to gain possession of this rich empire of the sea.

All the events of which we write hap pened more than two thousand years ago, and centuries passed in carrying them out. At that distant period there

(Continued on Inside Back Cover)

(Continued From Inside Front Cover) was all the time in the world to get things done.

THE decline and fall of the Caroline Empire was brought about by the time-honoured Mongoloid method of infiltration, rather than by direct mili tary invasion, and probably, resulted from a steady and progressive mixture of the two races; until the population became a nation of Mongol-Polynesian half-castes.

These mixed progeny, inheriting alien ideas from their Mongoloid parents, were not inclined to believe implicitly in the divine origin and authority of their rul ers, who had set themselves up as the direct descendants of Ta’aroa, creator of gods and men. The attempt by the royal clan to stem this tide, has come to our knowledge through the Arioi society, which survived in the Caroline Islands and in the Society Archipelago (whither it was subsequently brought), until early in the nineteenth century.

Instituted to preserve the pure blood and the unquestioning fealty of the war rior clans, the Arioi society was fashioned to attract to its fellowship the flower of the youth of unblemished ancestry. To the uninitiated the Arioi were bands of strolling comedians who were held in high esteem by all classes. Internally, the society was a grim hierarchy that exacted the slaughter, at birth, of all infants, if one of the parents should be of inferior rank or of mixed ancestry.

These measures may have delayed, but they did not halt the steady deteriora tion of the Caroline Empire. It is easy to imagine, therefore, that the proud chiefs and priesthood resolved to mend their fortunes in the well-settled archi pelagoes south of the equator, which were far enough away from the Asiatic main land to be safe from raids or infiltration from that quarter. rE first warning the people of Poly nesia had of this enterprise was a sudden descent from the north-west —by way of the marginal islands of Fiji —on Tonga and Samoa.

The sons of Ta’aroa, who had estab lished their headquarters on Rotuma (north of Fiji) did not gather any great advantage from these expeditions. The conquest of Tonga was, indeed, complete; but the campaign against Samoa resulted in nothing more than a prolonged siege that required a large force of warriors to maintain. They were well enough informed to know that the key to the conquest of Polynesia was Havai’i (Ra’iatea) in the centre.

That they abandoned the idea of a military expedition and resolved on Fifth Column procedure is indicated in the fol lowing quotation from “Ancient Tahiti”: • • • There came to Pora Pora from Rotuma, north-west of the Tonga group, a prince named Te Fatu (The Lord), a god’s name, which only the highest of Polynesians ever dared to assume, and which brought this prince great authority upon land from the god Te Fatu, lord of the ocean.”

How this advance agent travelled from island to island and from group to group, and wangled the various high-chiefs into the belief that the very blood descend ants of the creator of gods and men were about to honour ancient Havai’i with their presence, has come down to us with considerable detail.

When all was prepared, the sons of Taaroa moved in. We have no record of their coming. They took good care to cloud that event for posterity in the mist myth and legend, in order to estab lish the belief that they had been there mai te po maira,” i.e., from the begin

ning of time. We have an example in our own time how, within the space of one generation, a group can emerge from the nethermost dungeons of obscurity to the very throne of Olympus itself, by mere assumption.

The Ao-uri-ao-tea Confederation, which resulted from all these activities, was a Commonwealth of Nations that paid reverence to the reliious and cultural centre at Opoa, on Rai’iatea, rather than fealty to secular rulers residing there.

Each of the two divisions of the federa tion maintained a sort of archepiscopal high-commissioner (called respectively the Pa’oa-uri and the Pa’oa-tea) who resided with the Opoa royal family.

THE event which disrupted the con federation resulted in the last great migration to New Zealand, and brought upon Polynesia the night of isolation (each archipelago from the other—during a period of five hundred years), was the murder of the Pa’oa-tea by a chief of the Ao-uri, at a conclave convened at Opoa some time in the middle of the fourteenth century.

And so came to an end the migrations of the greatest race of mariners the human family has produced.