Pacific Seafarers and Maritime Cultures

The packet entitled, "Prehistory: Pacific Seafarers and Maritime Cultures" focuses on the origins of seafaring, the Kelp highway and Polynesians in the Pacific. While reading this article, a few thoughts crossed my mind. One thing that I couldn't help but think about is the fact that the subject of history itself is a mystery. Yes we have evidence of certain things that have occurred in the past. But what about the events in the past that we do not have evidence of? How can we be certain that something took place in the first place? The reason why this thought came to mind was because of what I read within the first page or two of the article. In the introduction, the text presents the question of: "If our ancestors didn't fish or forage along coastlines, cross water barriers, or colonize islands for 2.49 million years, how did they spread around the world? How and when did humans colonize the coastlines and islands of the Pacific?"(Pg. 8). From there, the author goes into depth about seafaring and about coastal economies.

Honestly, I found this packet a bit difficult to read. Although, one way that I was able to make the reading a bit more relatable was the fact that the reading concerned the Pacific and Polynesians. I think that the reason why I find it so interesting is because of the fact that, growing up, the schools that I attended would teach students the history of the Pacific. Being that I'm from Hawai'i, the social studies classes that I had, would focus on the history of Hawai'i and so I guess it's safe to say that that is something I am used to hearing about. It's also interesting to learn that the early seafarers had the ability to use the ocean to their advantage and construct boats to travel and settle on new land. They also had great skill when it came to survival at sea and having to depend on marine life.