Mysterious Polynesia: The Myths, Legends, and Mysteries of the Polynesians
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Gregory T. Luzitano
4/5
()
About this audiobook
By the mid-17th century, the existence of a land in the south referred to as Terra Australis was generally known and understood by the Europeans, and incrementally, its shores were observed and mapped. Van Diemen’s Land, an island off the south coast of Australia now called Tasmania, was identified in 1642 by Dutch mariner Abel Tasman, and a few months later, the intrepid Dutchman would add New Zealand to the map of the known world.
Taking into account similarities of appearance, customs and languages spread across a vast region of scattered islands, it was obvious that the Polynesian race emerged from a single origin, and that origin Cook speculated was somewhere in the Malay Peninsula or the “East Indies.” In this regard, he was not too far from the truth. The origins of the Polynesian race have been fiercely debated since then, and it was only relatively recently, through genetic and linguistic research, that it can now be stated with certainty that the Polynesian race originated on the Chinese mainland and the islands of Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Oceania was, indeed, the last major region of the Earth to be penetrated and settled by people, and Polynesia was the last region of Oceania to be inhabited. The vehicle of this expansion was the outrigger canoe, and aided by tides and wind patterns, a migration along the Malay Archipelago, and across the wide expanses of the South Pacific, began sometime between 3000 and 1000 BCE, reaching the western Polynesian Islands in about 900 BCE.
While the timing of the populations’ movements can be accurately plotted, the motivations and methodology have tended to come to light only through the study of the oral tradition and the folklore associated with many dispersed, but culturally associated peoples. Indeed, when scholars go through the traditions and mythology passed down by people who are dispersed across thousands of miles of water and islands, they are amazed.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Madame de Pompadour: The Life and Legacy of French King Louis XV’s Chief Mistress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Culper Ring: The History and Legacy of the Revolutionary War's Most Famous Spy Ring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Mysterious Polynesia
Related audiobooks
Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (The Landmark Library Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stories of the Southern Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Māori History: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Indigenous Polynesian People of New Zealand Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Paradise of the Pacific: Approaching Hawaii Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Australia: A History Book of Australia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Galápagos: The History of the Famous Pacific Islands and Their Unique Ecosystem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed Off the Coast of Vietnam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Polynesian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Polynesian Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kingdom of Hawai’i: The History of the Hawaiian State Before It Was Annexed by America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inca Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Inca Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quetzalcoatl: The History and Legacy of the Feathered Serpent God in Mesoamerican Mythology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inuit Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Inuit Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sons of the Waves: The Common Seaman in the Heroic Age of Sail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silk Road: The History and Legacy of the Trade Routes that Connected Europe and Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pirates: A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Uluru: The History and Legacy of the Australian Landmark Considered Sacred by the Local Aborigines Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mayan Warfare: The History of the Maya’s Battles and Military Tactics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Silk Road: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ice Diaries: An Antarctic Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Roma: The History of the Romani People and the Controversial Persecutions of Them across Europe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
History For You
The Secret History of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Who Cooked the Last Supper?: The Women's History of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Palestine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize): An American History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Korean War: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Endurance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Magdalene: Women, the Church, and the Great Deception Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Razorblade Tears: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An American Marriage: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story of Art Without Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Mysterious Polynesia
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Recommend if you’re looking for a simple summary of Polynesian history regarding the first settlements, encounters with Europeans, main myths, legends, gods, goddesses, and demigods of the various islands including Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand and others.