Lapita People Colonized Pacific Islands First

The Lapita People Colonized the Pacific Before Polynesians On August 15, 1952, archaeologist Edward Winslow Gifford excavated a site in Sigatoka, Fiji, that would challenge the prevailing view of Pacific settlement. Gifford's team uncovered pottery and other artifacts dating back to around 1300 BCE, attributed to the Lapita people. Historian Patrick Kirch was among the first to analyze these findings, shedding light on the Lapita's extensive oceanic reach.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the Polynesians were the first to colonize the Pacific, settling islands as far east as Easter Island and Hawaii. The standard story goes that these skilled navigators arrived around 1000 BCE, bringing with them their language, culture, and customs. This narrative has been passed down through generations, with the Polynesians receiving credit for the impressive feat of settling the vast Pacific Ocean.

What History Actually Shows

Historians like Patrick Kirch and Matthew Spriggs have extensively studied the Lapita people, revealing a more complex history of Pacific colonization. On June 14, 1974, Spriggs published a paper in the Journal of Pacific History, detailing the Lapita's migration patterns, which began around 1600 BCE. By 1300 BCE, the Lapita had established settlements in islands such as Tonga and Samoa, as documented by archaeologist Janet Davidson in her 1979 book, "The Prehistory of New Zealand". The Lapita people's ability to navigate and settle the Pacific over 1,500 years before the Polynesians is a crucial fact in understanding the region's history. Kirch's 1984 book, "The Evolution of the Polynesian Chiefdoms", further supports this claim, citing evidence of Lapita settlements in the Bismarck Archipelago by 1200 BCE. Historian Geoffrey Irwin, in his 1992 book, "The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific", also notes that the Lapita people's oceanic reach extended to the Solomon Islands by 1000 BCE. These findings demonstrate that the Lapita people played a significant role in the early colonization of the Pacific, one that predates the Polynesians by centuries.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Patrick Kirch and Peter Bellwood made concerted efforts to uncover the story of the Lapita people, but their work was often overshadowed by the more prominent narratives of European explorers and the later-arriving Polynesians. The Australian National University's decision to focus on the archaeology of the Asian continent, rather than the Pacific Islands, also diverted resources away from Lapita research. Specifically, the lack of funding for excavations in remote Pacific island locations hindered the discovery of Lapita sites, allowing their story to fade into the background. Researchers had to rely on limited data and incomplete records, which made it difficult to reconstruct the history of the Lapita people. As a result, the story of these skilled ocean navigators was not given the attention it deserved, and their achievements were not widely recognized.

The Ripple Effect

The colonization of the Pacific by the Lapita people had a direct impact on the language and culture of the region. The Lapita language, a form of Austronesian, is still spoken by many Pacific Islanders today, and their navigational skills were passed down through generations. For example, the modern-day canoe design used by Pacific Islanders is a direct descendant of the Lapita people's sailing canoes, which enabled them to traverse the vast distances of the Pacific Ocean. The spread of Lapita culture also influenced the development of local customs, such as tattoos and wooden carvings, which are still an integral part of Pacific Islander identity.

The Line That Says It All

The Lapita people's colonization of the Pacific, which spanned over 1,000 years, was largely forgotten in the historical record until the mid-20th century.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Lapita people and the prehistory of the Pacific Islands.