Oceania
Origins
• The history and culture of Oceania are not strongly linked to the Asian mainland.
• Although civilization (urban life) never emerged among these islands (prior to the modern age), they were governed by various rich non-urban cultures.
Oceania
• Oceania is the name for the vast, island-dotted swath of the Pacific that lies beyond maritime Southeast Asia
Early Life on Oceania
• While hunter-gatherer life (especially fishing) and agriculture were both practiced in the three island regions, Australia retained a purely hunter-gatherer lifestyle.3
First Migrations
• Oceania was colonized by waves of migration from Southeast Asia during the Paleolithic era, colonizing Melanesia and Australia.
Maori People
• The native peoples of Melanesia and Australia are dark-skinned, while the peoples of Micronesia and Polynesia are generally lighter in complexion.
• “Mela” means dark• “Poly” means many• “Macro” means large• “Micro” means small
Modern Oceania
• Captain James cook led expeditions to Oceania from 1768-1771.
• Most islands were
seized as colonies
• European diseases reduce the native population and many natives were forced into slavery.
Australia
• 1778 a British sent fleet to make Australia a Became British penal colony (Prison)
WWII
• The allies fought against the Japanese in Australia WWII.
• Most of the islands received independence during age of decolonization 1945-1980’s.
Travel
• The Maori used raft boats to travel through Polynesia.
• These people traveled to Madagascar bringing bananas to Africa.
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