Lapita art is best known for its ceramics, which feature
intricate repeating geometric patterns that occasionally include anthropomorphic faces and figures
. The patterns were incised into the pots before firing with a comblike tool used to stamp designs into the wet clay.
What does Lapita pottery mean?
Lapita pottery. Lapita pottery,
reconstructed two-dimensional anthropomorphic design
, c. 1000 bce. Courtesy of R.C. Green. The Lapita appear to have been skilled sailors and navigators who subsisted largely, but not entirely, by fishing along the coasts of the islands on which they lived.
Why is Lapita pottery important?
Lapita sites are of international significance for the story they
tell of the human colonization of the last major region of the world
, and the navigational and seafaring skills this required to successful reach and settle on the Islands of Remote Oceania, that is, those islands to the south and east of the Solomon …
Who used Lapita pottery?
That pottery is generally associated with peoples who had well-developed skills in navigation and canoe building and were horticulturists. From Fiji the Lapita culture was carried to
Tonga and Samoa
, where the first distinctively Polynesian cultures evolved. Archaeological evidence suggests that two other…
What is Lapita pottery and which theory of Polynesian migration does it support?
As the archaeological record improved in the 1980s and 1990s, the Lapita people were found to be the original settlers in parts of Melanesia and Western Polynesia. Many scientists believe Lapita pottery in Melanesia to
be proof that Polynesian ancestors passed through this area on their way into the central Pacific
.
Where are Melanesians from?
The First Settlers. The Melanesia region includes
Papua New Guinea, Australia and the island chains to the east including Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji
. The word “Melanesian” is more of a geographical name than a description of an ethnic group, so its meaning in this context is somewhat vague.
What is Post Lapita?
Post-Lapita ceramics, which have been
described
.
as pottery with incised and applied forms of decoration
, have been seen as being chronologically overlapping with. or later than Lapita pottery (e.g. Golson 1972:567-576)
Did Hawaiians make pottery?
Usually archaeologists rely on dating of ceramics, but
ceramics did not exist in early Hawaiian history
. “There is not a lot of soil formation on the islands, so the Polynesians who settled on Maui lacked clay and therefore pottery,” Kolb says.
Did Maori make clay pots?
Early uses
.
Māori did not fire clay
, but they were well aware of it through their cultivation of the soil. There were over 30 Māori terms for different clays, soils and gravels.
In which country was Lapita pottery sherds first discovered?
Lapita takes its name from an archaeological site in
New Caledonia
where similar pottery was first discovered. The Sand Dunes have produced the largest collection of complete and near complete Lapita pots from the Pacific region.
What is the difference between Near Oceania and Remote Oceania?
Near Oceania comprises mainland New Guinea with surrounding islands such as the Bismarcks, up to the main Solomon Islands in the east, whereas Remote
Oceania includes all islands further eastward
, i.e. Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, as well as Micronesia and Polynesia.
Where is Lapita located?
Lapita settlement sites occur on
most principal islands of Tonga (7)
, with the largest concentration surrounding Fanga ‘Uta Lagoon (Fig. 3) on the largest island of Tongatapu (“sacred south”). Location of Tonga along western leg of “Polynesian Triangle.” BA, Bismarck Archipelago; NG, New Guinea.
What is Melanesia and Polynesia?
Melanesia includes
the islands from Papua New Guinea to Fiji
. Micronesia includes small islands located north of Melanesia. Polynesia includes island groups from the Hawaiian Islands to the Pitcairn Islands. … Micronesia consists mainly of low islands, while Polynesia consists of many high islands, such as Hawaii.
Who were the Lapita and what did they do?
The Lapita were
the first people to penetrate Remote Oceania
. Between 1100 and 800 BCE they spread rapidly from Melanesia to Fiji and West Polynesia, including Tonga and Samoa. Explorers and settlers travelled across an expanse of the western Pacific in only 10–15 generations.
What are Polynesians called?
Polynesians, including
Samoans
, Tongans, Niueans, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian Mā’ohi, Hawaiian Māoli, Marquesans and New Zealand Māori, are a subset of the Austronesian peoples.
Which major island is the largest in the region called Oceania?
The largest island of Oceania is
Australia
.
