o Oceania encompasses the people indigenous to Australia, New Zealand, and

the Pacific Islands. The area is often broken down into four separate regions:
Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, and Melanesia.

o The Lapita, dating from about 1500 BC to 500 BC, are thought to be the
ancestors of the modern day cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and some parts
of Melanesia.

o The Lapita culture was formed by the second wave of Oceanic settlers coming
from Southeast Asia.

o The period from 1000 BC to 1000 AD is characterized by increasing trade and

interaction between the Pacific Islands and mainland Asia, as well as the
settling of new areas.

o By 1500, the first European explorers reached Oceania. Although previous

artistic and architectural traditions continued, the various regions began to
diverge and record more distinct cultures.

Terms[ edit ]

Lapita

Lapita is a term applied to an ancient Pacific Ocean archaeological culture which is

believed by many archaeologists to be the common ancestor of several cultures in
Polynesia, Micronesia, and some coastal areas of Melanesia.

moai

Moai are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people from rock on the
Chilean Polynesian island of Easter Island between the years 1250 and 1500.

Source: Boundless. The Rise of Pacific Cultures. Boundless Art History. Boundless, 21 Jul.
2015. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/art-
history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/oceania-32/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-
195/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-708-7711/

Art of Oceania properly encompasses the artistic traditions of the people indigenous to
Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. The area is often broken down into four
separate regions: Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, and Melanesia . The ancestors of the
people of these islands came from Southeast Asia by two different groups at separate times.
The first, an Australoid people and the ancestors of modern day Melanesians and Australian
Aboriginals, came to New Guinea and Australia, with the Melanesians expanding as far as the
northern Solomon Islands by 38,000 BC. The second wave of peoples came from Southeast
Asia 30,000 years later, where they reached reached even the most remote Pacific islands.
These early peoples lacked a writing system, and made works on perishable materials, so few
records of them exist from this time.

Source: Boundless. The Rise of Pacific Cultures. Boundless Art History. Boundless, 21 Jul.
2015. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/art-
history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/oceania-32/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-
195/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-708-7711/

By 1500 BC, descendants of the second wave began to expand and spread into the more
remote islands. At around the same time, art began to appear in New Guinea, including the
earliest examples of sculpture in Oceania. From around 1000 BC on, the Lapita people
consolidated and began to create the contemporary Polynesian cultures of Samoa, Tonga, and
Fiji. From there they ventured further out into the Pacific and settled the Marquesas and
northern Cook Islands.

The Lapita were an early culture with an influential artistic tradition. Dating from about 1500
BC to 500 BC, they are thought to be the ancestors of the modern day cultures of Polynesia,
Micronesia, and some parts of Melanesia. The culture was formed by the second wave of
Oceanic settlers, and the name comes from the site of Lapita in New Caledonia, which was
among the first places its distinctive sculpture would be found. It is debated exactly where the
culture developed, but the people themselves originally came from Southeast Asia. Their art is
best known by their ceramics, which include elaborate geometric motifs and sometimes
anthropomorphic imagery. It is thought some of the designs may be related to modern
Polynesian tattoos and barkcloths. They were created by firing a comblike tool that stamped
the designs on to wet clay; each stamp would have one design and would be layered until an
elaborate pattern was created. Their usage was primarily practical, used in cooking, serving,
and storing food.

The period from 1000 BC to 1000 AD is characterized by increasing trade and interaction
between the Pacific Islands and mainland Asia. Starting around 600 BC, works of the
Dongson culture of Vietnam - known for their bronze working - can be found in Oceania, and
their imagery has a strong influence on the indigenous artistic tradition. New areas were also
settled during this time, including Hawaii, Easter Island, Tahiti, and New Zealand. Starting
around 1100 AD, the people of Easter Island began construction of nearly 900 moai (large
stone statues, ). At about 1200 AD, the people of Pohnpei, a Micronesian island, embarked on
another megalithic construction, building Nan Madol, a city of artificial islands and a system
of canals. By 1500, the first European explorers reached Oceania. Although previous artistic
and architectural traditions continued, the various regions began to diverge and record more
distinct cultures.

Source: Boundless. The Rise of Pacific Cultures. Boundless Art History. Boundless, 21 Jul.
2015. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/art-
history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/oceania-32/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-
195/the-rise-of-pacific-cultures-708-7711/