Melanesia: Difference between revisions
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'''Melanesia''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]]: μέλας ''black'', νῆσος ''island'') is a region extending from the western side of [[East Pacific]] to the [[Arafura Sea]], north and north-east of [[Australia]]. The term was first used by [[Jules Dumont d'Urville]] in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from [[Polynesia]] and [[Micronesia]]. Today d'Urville's [[race|racial]] classification is known to be inaccurate because it obscures Melanesia's cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity |
'''Melanesia''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]]: μέλας ''black'', νῆσος ''island'') is a region extending from the western side of [[East Pacific]] to the [[Arafura Sea]], north and north-east of [[Australia]]. The term was first used by [[Jules Dumont d'Urville]] in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from [[Polynesia]] and [[Micronesia]]. Today d'Urville's [[race|racial]] classification is known to be inaccurate because it obscures Melanesia's cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity. Most importantly, this term is often used to distinguish two quite distinct groups, the [[Papuans]] and the [[Austronesian]]s. |
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== The People of Melanesia == |
== The People of Melanesia == |
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Revision as of 00:35, 16 December 2005
Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a region extending from the western side of East Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. The term was first used by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from Polynesia and Micronesia. Today d'Urville's racial classification is known to be inaccurate because it obscures Melanesia's cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity. Most importantly, this term is often used to distinguish two quite distinct groups, the Papuans and the Austronesians.
The People of Melanesia
The original inhabitants of Melanesia are likely to have been the ancestors of the present-day Papuan language speaking people. These people are thought to have occupied New Guinea tens of millennia ago, and reached island Melanesia at least 35,000 years ago (according to radiocarbon dating). They appear to have occupied Melanesia as far east as the main islands in the Solomon Islands (i.e. including San Cristobal) and perhaps even to the smaller islands further to the east.
It is in Melanesia (particularly along the north coast of New Guinea and in the islands north and east of New Guinea) that the Austronesian people came into contact with these pre-existing populations of Papuan speaking peoples, probably around four thousand years ago. It seems there was a long period of interaction which resulted in many complex changes in genetics, languages and culture. It is likely that it is from this area that a very small group of people departed to the east to become the founders of the Polynesian people.
The nations of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia (which is legally a French dependency) use this term to describe themselves because it reflects their shared colonial history and common regional situation.
Location
The following islands and groups of islands are traditionally considered part of Melanesia:
Islands of mixed ancestry which do not claim Melanesian status include:
Some of the islands to the west of New Guinea such as Halmahera, Alor and Pantar can also be considered to be part of Melanesia, although people in this area do not make use of the term.
See also
Further reading
- New Guinea: Crossing Boundaries and History - a general history of New Guinea
- Dunn, Michal, Angela Terrill, Ger Reesink, Robert A. Foley, Stephen C. Levinson. 2005. 'Structural Phylogenetics and the Reconstruction of Ancient Language History'. Science 309: 2072-2975.
External links
- Map South Pacific
- South Pacific Organizer
- Polynesian origins: Insights from the Y chromosome
- Independent Histories of Human Y Chromosomes from Melanesia and Australia
- A site about West-Melanesia
