There
are approximately three dozen different groups of Polynesian
people. The Polynesian Cultural Center showcases the people and
island nations of Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand),
Fiji, the Marquesas, Tahiti and Tonga. In addition, we also have
a new Rapa Nui (Easter Island) exhibit featuring seven hand-carved moai or stone statues.
Of
the other Polynesian islands and people, the Cultural Center's
web site provides information on:
The
Cook Islands, with its population of about 19,000, is the largest
group of Polynesian people who have yet to be represented at
the Polynesian Cultural Center, although a number of Cook Islanders
attend Brigham Young University Hawaii and work at the
PCC. The traditions of the Cook Island Maori, as they call themselves,
trace their ancestry on the southern islands back to Tahiti and
the Marquesas over 1,000 years ago, with Samoan and Tongan migrations
settling in the northern islands. Cook Island tradition also
says some of the New Zealand Maori migrations originated in their
islands.
The
Spaniard Mendaña spotted the northern Cook Island of Pukapuka
in 1595, during his same journey from South America to the Philippines
that he also discovered the Marquesas and Tuvalu. The Cook Islands
are obviously named after British explorer Capt. James Cook,
who sighted them in 1770, although the islands didn't become
a British protectorate until 1888. By 1900, Great Britain transferred
administrative control over the islands to New Zealand. In 1965
the people chose a self-government status in free association
with New Zealand. Consequently, a relatively large number of
Rarotongans or Cook Islanders live in New Zealand.
The
majority of the population lives among the eight elevated southern
islands, with its capital on Rarotonga. There are also seven
low-lying, sparsely populated northern islands.
Cook
Islands Map
For
more information on the Cook Islands:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cw.html
http://www.ck/
Niue
is a single island approximately 240 miles east of Tonga. Its
roughly circular shape encompasses approximately 100 square miles
and has a population of about 2,100. Although geographically
part of the Cook Islands, Niue is an administratively separate,
self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand.
It's estimated more Niueans live in New Zealand than on the island.
Anthropologists
believe Samoans settled the island about AD 900, and their own traditions
say another group came from Tonga in the 16th century. Consequently,
their distinctive Polynesian language is closely related to both Samoan
and Tongan. British explorer Capt. James Cook sighted Niue in 1774
and named it Savage Island because the people did not allow him to
land.
Niue
is one of the world's largest coral islands.
Niue
Map
For
more information on Niue:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ne.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/pacific/niue/index.htm
According
to their own traditions, the people of Tuvalu — which means "cluster
of eight" low-lying coral atolls which total less than 10
square miles of land mass — came from Samoa, Tonga, the
northern Cook Islands, Rotuma and the Gilbert Islands (now called
Kiribati), starting in the 14th century. The islands first came
to the attention of the western world in 1595, when the Spaniard
Mendaña stumbled across them en route from South America
to the Philippines.
In
more recent times Tuvalu came under British control and was known
as the Ellice Islands, which were administered jointly with the
nearby Gilbert Islands. In 1974, the approximately 11,000 Polynesian
people of the Ellice Islands elected to separate from the Micronesian
people of the Gilberts. They returned to the traditional name
of their island group, but remained a British colony for about
four more years, declaring independence in 1978. The capital
is on the small island of Funafuti.
Tuvalu,
one of the smallest and more remote countries in the world, is
concerned global warming might eventually lead to their atolls
being inundated by a rising ocean.
Tuvalu
Map
For
more information on Tuvalu:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tv.html
http://www.tuvaluislands.com/
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tv.html
Scientific
evidence indicates Wallis, which is traditionally called Uvea,
and Futuna — which are located between Samoa and Fiji — were
historically settled over 2,000 years ago. About 500 years ago,
marauding Tongans captured the islands and intermarried with
the Polynesian people there.
British
navigator Samuel Wallis discovered Uvea in 1767, but the islands
have been under French administration since 1842. Today, about
9,500 Polynesians live on Wallis and about 5,000 on Futuna. A
relatively large number of Wallisians also live in New Caledonia
and Vanuatu, which was previously a French territory.
For
more information on the French Territory of Wallis and Futuna
islands:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wf.html
http://wallis-islands.com/index.gb.htm
Approximately
76 low coral islands and atolls make up the Tuamotu islands,
which are located to the east of Tahiti and comprise one of
five French Polynesia districts that many people collectively
think of as Tahiti. They were once called the "dangerous
archipelago" because of their challenging currents, shallow
reefs, narrow sailing passages and susceptibility to bad weather.
While
the approximately 15,000 Polynesian people of the Tuamotus, who call
themselves Paumotu, are very similar to Tahitians, in fact they speak
their own distinctive language...as well as Tahitian and French. Some
anthropologists believe these islands were first inhabited over 1,200
years ago by Polynesians migrating from the Marquesas.
Today,
the beautiful lagoons of the Tuamotus are somewhat famous as
a yachting and diving destination as well as the site of many
black pearl oyster farms. The southern Tuamotu islands are
also somewhat infamous as the site of French underground nuclear
testing from 1963-96, and related concerns about their environmental
impact.
Tuamotu
map
Tuamotu
Travel Source
