South Asia IslandsNicole Winsor

Table Content

Opening Statement

Map

Flags

Geography

• Indonesia • Indonesia, with over 18,000 counted islands, is by far the largest and most varied archipelago on Earth • It spans almost 2 million square kilometers between Asia and Australia• Population of 248,216,193• Indonesia shares land borders with 3 countries

• Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Papa New Guinea• 400 volcanoes within its borders

• At least 90 still active in some way

• French Polynesia • Spread over a vast area about the size of Europe

• 118 islands and atolls of French Polynesia • Part of an overseas territory of France • Divided into 5 groups

• The Austral, Gambier, Marquesas, Society and Tuamotu archipelagos

• Prior to European settlement, the island groups of French Polynesia were inhabited by Polynesians, and organized into loose chieftainships

Mount Agung, Bali, Indonesia

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Geography

• Marshall islands• Midway between Hawaii and Australia. • First settled by Micronesian navigators

• They were subsequently controlled by Spain and Germany, and finally by Japan• Include the Ratak (sunrise chain) and Ralik (sunset chain)

• Two parallel chains of 29 coral atolls• Thousands of tiny islets• Hundreds of very small low-lying islands• All scattered over a wide area of the Pacific Ocean.

• Malaysia • Located in Southeast Asia, north of the Equator• The exotic, tropical islands and lands of Malaysia contain some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet and a collection of

unrivaled rainforests and national parks

• Australia & Oceania • Oceania, the planet's smallest continent, is without doubt one of the most diverse and fascinating areas on the planet

• A large percentage of geography experts now consider the long-established continent of Australia to be more accurately defined as Australia/Oceania• Collectively it then combines all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea

• As well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific Ocean• Including the Melanesia and Polynesia groups

• Oceania also includes Micronesia, a widely scattered group of islands that run along the northern and southern edges of the Equator.

Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands

Ipsos in Malaysia is one of the largest and most successful research companies in Malaysia and a key part of the Ipsos Group, a leading global research company.

Historical Progression• 3500 BC- 2500 BC

• A new cultural development begun• With the emergence of a new toolkit based

• Small, finely finished flaked stone implements to make knives and shafted axes

• The dingo is also introduced about now• These developments are evidence for contact with peoples from South East Asia

• They are probably at least as much to do with the climate becoming drier• Smaller implements allow for a more mobile lifestyle needed to cover a wider range of territory in search of food• Far to the north, in southern China, population movements are taking place which will have a huge impact on Oceania in the millennia to follow. The ancestors of today's Austronesian

peoples (of which the Melanesians and Polynesians are examples, as well as Malays and Madagascans) are migrating from south China to Taiwan at this time. They take with them their Stone-Age farming culture and well-developed fishing and navigation techniques

• 1500 BC• The shift to the new tool kit of smaller and finer stone implements is taking place at different times in different places

• The process is probably not a peaceful one - scenes of violence portrayed in cave paintings probably date from around this time, reflecting a fierce competition for resources between different groups• These technological changes seem to have been accompanied by changes in religious beliefs and practices, with old sacred sites abandoned• This may indicate the replacement of older populations by incoming ones

• To the north, Austronesian migrants have now settled the coasts and islands of South East Asia, south to the northern coast of New Guinea, and as far east as the Solomon islands • At about this time they also embark on the first of their great colonizing ventures, when a group of them sail the 2500 km (1550 miles) eastwards across open water to settle the Mariana islands

• 1100 BC• The new stone tool kit continues to spread, and leads to other changes• The existence of large base camps and cemeteries indicate larger, more stable tribal territories as groups coalesce or exterminate each other in seeking to secure food sources in the

dryer conditions• Groups of Austronesians continue to migrate eastwards, reaching Fiji by 1300 BC and Tonga and Samoa by 1000 BC• They carry with them their cultural package known to modern scholars as the "Lapita culture", marked in the archaeological record by pottery with distinctive decorations based on

tattoo designs• This culture probably originated in southern China, and it is based on a mixed economy of horticulture and maritime subsistence

• The people had pigs, dogs and foul

Historical Progression • 700 BC

• Almost all Australia is covered by the new technology based on the small stone tool kit• In the western Pacific, an inter-island trading system has developed, linking the Austronesian communities of New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and as far

east as Fiji

• 300 BC• The inhabitants of Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are developing intensive trading relations, which will, over several centuries, lead to the emergence of a common

Polynesian culture in these islands.• This culture is marked by some significant losses in technology, as well as some remarkable gains• Of the losses, the most notable are the gradual disappearance of pottery and of the weaving loom

• This must have been linked to a reduction in the Pacific Islanders dependence upon rice and millet, and a growing dependence upon tropical plants such as taro and bananas, as well as upon fish and meat

• Pottery is especially useful for carrying cereal grains, and so would become less useful in the new conditions of the tropical Pacific• In place of textiles the islanders increasingly used bark cloth, in which they developed high level skills• They also developed further their boat building and navigation techniques, and later Polynesian societies were to produce sophisticated stone implements,

elaborate irrigation systems, palisaded earthwork fortifications and monumental stone art

• 30 BC• The long dry spell is giving way again to a wetter climate, much like that of the present day• This period sees the emergence of long-distance trade routes, which in turn stimulates the quarrying and manufacture of stones and stone artefacts on a

proto-industrial scale in some favoured locations, for distribution over a wide area• In Polynesia, there is a new phase of outward expansion into the Pacific

• Tahiti and the Society Islands have been colonized from Tonga and Samoa, and the Marquesa Islands have also been settled, from Samoa• The motivations for such long colonizing voyages are largely to be found in the immense, semi-divine prestige attached to founders of new settlements• In a very status-conscious society such as the Polynesian, this was one of the few ways in which a junior member of a leading clan could found a high status

clan of his own.

Historical Progression

• 100 AD• The newly settled Pacific islands are malaria-free, and have plenty of resources available for the newcomers to exploit

• Different islands evolve different societies according to the local environment which prevails on each• Larger islands, such as Tonga and Tahiti, develop hierarchical societies in which stratified ranks of chiefs dominate the population• Smaller islands retain a more egalitarian society where high status does not necessarily confer political control• Long-distance inter-island contact between the far-scattered Polynesian islands persists on a regular, though infrequent basis

• 500 AD• The Hawaian islands have been settled by Polynesian colonists from the Marquesa Islands, and Easter Island has been settled from Tahiti

• 750 AD• This period sees the colonizing of the rest of the major islands of the Pacific, with voyages originating from the core area of Samoa-Tonga, Tahiti, the

Society Islands, and the Marquesas• At some point around this time the sweet potato arrived in Polynesia

• This has led some scholars to think that Polynesian sailors voyaged as far as the coast of South America• Others believe that these vegetables floated on the ocean currents to their new destination

• 900 AD• Inter-island communication remains an important part of Polynesian culture, despite the long voyages this entails• There is evidence dating to this period for the rise of Tongan rulers to a position of pre-eminence acknowledged by local rulers in Fiji, Samoa and

other islands• This pre-eminence apparently endured into the 13th century.

• Another example of continued inter-island links is the evidence for a second major colonization of Hawaii at around this date, this time from Tahiti• A strictly-ranked hierarchical society began to take shape here.

Historical Progression• 1215 AD

• Polynesian colonists from Tahiti discover New Zealand• It is possible that the new arrivals have come on a single shipT

• The numbers of these ancestral Maories will soon multiply

• This period also sees the early stages of the construction of the great statues on Easter Island• These are the product of a culture which gives high value to competitive building between chiefs, with each chief seeking higher status by building larger statues

• In future centuries these statues will reach truly massive dimensions• Other Polynesian societies, Tonga and Hawaii for example, also engage in large-scale monumental building in stone, but on a less dramatic scale

• 1453 AD• The Maoris of New Zealand have quickly colonized both islands

• The tropical crops they brought with them are unsuited to the temperate climate of most of the country, and the settlers adopted a largely hunter-gatherer lifestyle• The abundant wildlife, including the huge, flightless bird called the Moa, offered plentiful food

• However, this has now been depleted, and the Maoris have learnt to eat native plants such as ferns, and to focus on growing their hardier crops such as sweet potato• This is only possible in the north

• Throughout most of South Island a thin population lives a hunter-gatherer way of life• In other parts of Oceania, the Tongan "empire" has vanished

• The rulers of Samoa, Fiji and other islands no longer recognize the Tongan ruler's pre-eminence• The people of Samoa have developed a highly complex system of chiefly offices, arranged in an elaborate hierarchy of local and regional councils

• In far distant Easter Island, the construction of ever-larger monumental statues continues, reflecting a fierce competition between chiefs

• 1648 AD• Long-distance voyaging is mostly a thing of the past for the Polynesians

• The first European sailors have now appeared in these waters, and some of the major islands, including Australia and New Zealand, have either been sighted or visited• On Easter Island, the last and greatest phase of statue construction suddenly comes to an end about now, although the inhabitants apparently continue to venerate these

great objects• The social structure which produced the statues presumably continues largely intact

• In around 1550 or a little later, sweet potatoes were introduced into the New Guinea highland farming culture• This has led to too much more intensive farming, and so to a large expansion of population

Historical Progression

• 1789 AD• Over the past century and a half all the major Pacific islands have now been visited by European expeditions

• The most famous of these were led by the British captain, James Cook, who between 1769 and 1779 visited Australia, New Zealand and many other islands• Other notable explorers were the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen and the Frenchman Louis de Bouganville

• The first European missionaries arrived, along with some traders and other adventurers• Sadly, with the Europeans came guns and diseases new to the islanders

• Dramatic population decline followed, along with a destabilization of traditional societies and an intensification of warfare

• On Easter Island, for example, most of the great statues were thrown down in a fierce civil war• The first permanent European settlement in the region has been established

• In the form of a British penal colony on the south eastern coast of Australia

• 1837 AD• Christian missionaries, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, have been active on all the islands of the Pacific• European traders and whaling ships also visit the islands regularly, and some establish small settlements, for example on the coasts of New

Zealand• The calamitous effects of European diseases and firearms continue to destabilize many island societies

• On some places, civil wars end in the establishment of monarchies which rule the whole island, as on Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti• In all these cases, the kings have converted to the Protestant form of Christianity, leading to the wholesale adoption of the new religion (plus large elements of

European culture) by their peoples

• The British have now established a number of colonies in Australia, and the Dutch have started the first tentative colonization of New Guinea• American settlers

• Missionaries, traders and plantation owners • Established a major presence on Hawaii

Ancient People

• Malaysia• The Semang tribes used to live in the mountainous interior of peninsular Malaysia where they have lived in

close association with a variety of Veddoid and tribal Malay groups• They are, however, physically and culturally much more closely related to the Andamanese Negrito than to

their long-term Veddoid neighbours. • Although they do not seem to have mixed much, their contact was still close enough for them to acquire

cultural traits that differentiate them somewhat from the Andamanese. • In view of the long separation from each other, it is remarkable how well they have kept their common

"Negrito heritage". • Among Negrito, the Andamanese remain unique for having preserved their original languages. • The Semang have adopted the language of the Mon-Khmer wave of migrants surrounding them perhaps since

before 7,000 years ago. • Some vocabulary suspected of going back to their original language has been recovered. • The Mon-Khmer-speakers were themselves pushed aside by Malay newcomers who today dominate the

peninsula south of the Thai border. • Oddly enough, the Semang and some Veddoid tribal groups have retained their Mon-Khmer languages until

recently despite the social and cultural pressures to adopt Malay.

Ancient People

• Indonesia• Indonesia did not exist as yet during the Palaeocene period (70 million years

BC), the Eocene period (30 million years BC), the Oligacene period (25 million years BC) and the Miocene period (12 million years BC). It is believed that Indonesia must have existed during the Pleistocene period (4 million years BC) when it was linked with the present Asian mainland. It was during this period that the Homonids made their first appearance and Java Man inhabited the part of the world now called Indonesia. Java Man, named Pithecanthropus Erectus by Eugence Dubois who found the fossils on the island of Java, must have been the first inhabitant of Indonesia.

Ancient people

• Oceania • Due to colonial neglect and historical isolation, the Pacific Islands, home to

the world's most diverse range of indigenous cultures, continue to sustain many ancestral life-ways. Fewer than 6.5 million in all, the peoples of Oceania possess a vast repository of cultural traditions and ecological adaptations. Papua New Guinea alone is home to one-third of the world's languages - about 780 distinct vernaculars. Oceania thus has the most to lose, culturally speaking, from the pressures of global political and economic change.

Religion

• Oceania• Australia has no single established church

• Its constitution guarantees freedom of worship• The population is predominantly Christian• Largest single denominations are the Roman Catholic Church (29 percent of the population) • Anglican Church of Australia (22 percent)• Another 29 percent belong to other Christian denominations

• Protestant Church (14 percent)• Uniting Church (founded in 1977 with the merging of the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists)• Baptist Union• Lutheran Church of Australia• Church of Christ• Greek Orthodox Church

• Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim worshipers make up a small portion of the population• The number of Buddhists and Muslims is increasing

• Reflecting the changing immigration patterns since the 1960s• A significant share of Australia's population say they are nonreligious

Sacred Heart Cathedral Bendigo. Church in Victoria, Australia, Australia

Culture• Cultures in Oceania reflect the native people groups in Oceania

• Australian Aboriginals, Polynesians, Melanesians, and Micronesians

• Among Australian Aboriginals, there is a large number of tribal divisions and language groups• Corresponding to this, a wide variety of diversity exists within cultural practices, there are many similarities however

• Aboriginal art is unique and is the most internationally recognizable form of Australian art

• In music, the didgeridoo is commonly considered the national instrument of Australian Aborigines• It is claimed to be the world's oldest wind instrument.• Walkabout in Aboriginal culture refers to a belief that an adolescence Aboriginal would undergo a six month journey living in the outback for six months

• Polynesians were tribal societies with a history of war• They were known for their navigation skills and boats (waka) are still important today• Music and dance is unique• Famous dances include the Haka from the New Zealand Maori and the Hula performed by Hawaiian dancers• Tattoos are an important expression in Polynesian cultures

• Melanesian languages belong to the Austronesian group• Customs include kava drinking and tattooing• Melanesians used the bow and arrow for hunting which was almost non-existent in Polynesia• Head-hunting was common in some Melanesian groups

• Micronesians have a rich oral history and a unique musical heritage• Micronesian societies are made up of clan groupings, with descent usually traced through the mother• The head clan on each island can trace its lineage back to the island's original settlers• Before the arrival of paper currency, most Micronesians traded with beads, shells and clams.

• Australia and New Zealand (Australasia) which is the bulk of Oceania has a predominate western culture• This gives Oceania a unique blend of smaller and older cultures existing among a modern culture similar to North America and Europe

Kanak Hut

Food

• Fish• One ingredient that is shared by many of the islands is fish

• There is an abundant supply of fish that surrounds these islands• The natives learned to make use of the surplus by creating delicious meals that centered on the protein without becoming boring

• When served plain, fish is often grilled whole and served in the middle of the table for guests to pick at• Sometimes fish is chopped up and a fish base is created for a stew or soup• While other times it is served raw in the form of sashimi or sushi

• Coconuts• Coconuts are found on a number of the tropical islands

• Grow wild and are usually found in abundance• Natives on the islands figured out a number of different ways to use the coconut

• Coconut meat can be eaten plain or can be used to garnish dishes• Many use coconut meat in desserts such as cookies or cakes• Coconut milk has saved more than one starving lost person in the islands

• It is extremely nutritious• One of the few things that people can drink when in a foreign country without having to worry about getting any parasites

• Coconut milk is used in a number of different dishes on the island• It is sometimes used to sweeten a stew or soup, and other times is used to marinate a meat in

• Coconut milk has a way of softening up a piece of meat that not many marinades do

Languages

• American Samoa- English, Samoan • Closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian

• Australia- English and Native languages• Cook Islands- English and Maori• Fiji- English, Fijian, and Hindustani• French Polynesia- French and Tahitian• Guam- English, Chamorro, and Japanese• Kiribati- English and I-Kiribati• Marshall Islands- English, Marshallese, Japanese

• Two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesia family

• Micronesia-Enlgish, Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

• Tonga- Tonga and English• Vanuatu- English, French, Bislama, and 100 local

languages

• Nauru- Nauruan and English• A distance Pacific Island language

• New Caledonia- French and 33 Melanesia-Polynesian dialects

• New Zealand- English, Maori• Niue- English, Niuean

• Polynesian languages closely related to Tongan and Samoan

• Northern Mariana Islands- English, Chamorro, Carolinian• Palau- English, Palauan, Sonsoralese, Tobi, Angaur, and

Japanese• Papua New Guinea- Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin, English

• 823 living indigenous languages

• Pitcairn- English and Pitcairnese• Samoa Soloman Islands- Somoan (Polynesian), English,

Melanesia, and 120 indigenous • Tuvalu- English, Tuvaluan, Samoan, I-Kiribati

• Islands of Nui

Writing

• Ancient Philippine scripts- 300 B.C.

Closing Statement

Bibliography

• http://www.ezilon.com/maps/images/Oceania_phy1.gif (map)• http://

media-curse.cursecdn.com/attachments/126/770/d523f35a6f0ae1230ac0e9a469ee98c7.png (flags)

• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/id.htm (geography)• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/pf.htm (geography)• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/mh.htm (geography)• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/my.htm (geography)• http://ipsosasiapacific.com/malaysia/ (geography)• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm (geography)• http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Kingdoms_of_Indonesia.htm (ancient people)• http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/indonesia/pro-history.htm (ancient people)

Bibliography

• http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/oceania-islands-land-people (indigenous people)

• http://www.countriesquest.com/oceania/australia/population/religion.htm (religion)• http://www.thousandwonders.net/Sacred+Heart+Cathedral+Bendigo (religion image)• http://www.virtualoceania.net/oceania/photos/cultures.shtml (culture)• http://www.virtualoceania.net/newcaledonia/photos/culture/nc0069.shtml (culture image)• http://www.foodtourism.com/2008/11/food-in-oceania.html (food)• http://blog.thecheaproute.com/img/red-fish-640x426.jpg (food image)• http://2.imimg.com/data2/NC/GG/MY-2114665/coconut-tree-500x500.jpg (food image)• http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/post/43566655045/ancient-philippine-scripts-are-systems-of-writing

(writing)• http://www.timemaps.com/history/oceania-3500bc (historical progression)• https://cinoclubebivar.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/dingo.jpg (historical progression image)• http://www.queenslandshows.com.au/images/Millet.jpg (historical progression image)