History of Oceania

Despite the different interpretations and meanings of the term Oceania, this name defines in geography the region made up of Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Thus, it will be necessary to have a brief look at the history of these four regions in order to see how the history behind the whole region has evolved through years.

The earliest humans arrived in Oceania between 40 and 60 thousand years ago, depending on each region. These people that is known today as aborigines, had shaped the geography of the region, which also influenced their way of live. They were nomadic people that established in Oceania a spiritual and artistic lifestyle with lots of traditions and rituals that had turn Oceania into an enigmatic region.

The aborigines colonized the region by waves of migration form Southeast Asia during different periods. The first one occurred during the Paleolithic, when the migrants colonized Melanesia and Australia taking profit of the lower sea level that characterizes this era. Thus, many early Polynesian cultures began with Southeast Asian sailors who settled communities as they explored the Pacific Ocean. As early residents began to explore and settle the region, they took animals and not native plants to the isolated islands that caused a change to the ecosystem of the isolated islands. Since then, they started getting more advanced and sophisticated ways of navigation that can be seen on the development of outrigger canoes that also allowed improvements on other areas. Historic Polynesian culture relied on a sophisticated navigation system based on observations of the stars, ocean swells, and the flight patterns of birds. They developed an ocean-oriented culture. Then they started being able to domesticate plants and animals and permanent communities throughout the islands of the South Pacific were being established.

Outtrigger canoes.

Source: John Oxley Library Source: Migration Heritage Centre

Thus, we can see how Polynesians changed the environments in which they lived. One example of that it is the impact that the Maori had in New Zealand. Even it is important to bear in mind the respectful relationship between these people and nature, they really had an impact on the land they lived, that it can be appreciated on the island’s forest reduction caused by the necessity of more land for agriculture. Therefore, each region was shaped by a different culture with different forms of subsistence, art, religion… but with some common characteristics. By 1000 CE, Polynesians had been able to establish communities through Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This expansion thoriugh Oceania ended around 1250 AC, with the colonization of New Zealand.

Austronesian expansion and colonization. Source: Transpacific project

European colonization

Another fact that defined Oceania earlier geography was the European colonization that took place in the region since the 16th century. Europeans started exploring Oceania during the early modern and modern ages, in fact, there were lots of Spanish and Portuguese expeditions that crossed the Pacific Ocean from 1527 to 1595. It was then when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the Spanish Juan Sebastian Elcano discovered the Mariana Islands, the Philippines and other islands of Oceania, being this way the first leaders to do the European transpacific voyage and circumnavigation of the world.

Magellan and Elcano circumnavigation voyage Source: Transpacific project

Since then, there was a high European presence in the Pacific islands that lead to the discoveries of other parts that made up what we know today as Oceania. Some of these islands that were discovered during these Spanish explorations were: the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, the Marquesas, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands and the Admiralty Islands. Thus, until the 16th century the exploration and discoveries of the Pacific region were dominated by explorers and conquerors from Spain and Portugal, but since the 17th century other European countries joined them. The first ones were the English and Deutsch explorers, followed by France and Russia in the 18th century and by Germany and the United States in the 19th. Therefore, different colonization processes from the main powerful nations took place in the region of Oceania.

Dutch explorations:

The Dutch were the first European to establish contact with the coastlines of New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania, Easter Island, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. In fact, in 1606 Willem Janszoon was the first who made a completely European landing in Australia, naming the land “Keer Weer”, that finally turn out to be “Australia”. Then, another Dutch explorer named Abel Tasman was the first European who discovered what we know today as Tasmania and New Zealand, and he also sight Fiji. It was in 1642 when he was able to reach the west coast of Tasmania, and consequently, to claim possession of the land. Then, he also discovered New Zealand.

Abel Tasman’s route. Source: Wikipedia

British exploration and colonization:

Even that there were some British explorers that made expedition to the Pacific islands in the late 16th century such Sir Francis Drake (who run the first English expedition to Oceania) or Sir Thomas Cavendish, the main English explorer that everybody knows is James Cook. He wasn’t the first explorer to reach Australia, as Willem Janszoon had done it before, but in 1770 James Cook was the first one to record direct observation to the indigenous Australian that were living in the country by then. Besides, it is important to keep in mind that James Cook made three voyages: in the first one he crossed the Pacific looking for the “rich continent of Australia”. This way, he managed to map the New Zealand coastline and to reach the first observation of aborigines. During the second voyage he discovered the big dimensions of Australia and he landed at some islands like Friendly Islands, Easter Island, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. Finally, on his third trip he managed to make a landfall to Hawaii, causing some trouble with the inhabitants of the island.

The discoveries made by James Cook lead to a better knowledge of the Oceania territory, that in turn facilitate the process of colonization. Hence, in 1789 William Bligh settled a British colony on Pitcairn Islands. Then other British colonies were established in Australia (1788), New Zealand (1840), Fiji (1872) and Niue (1900), so a big part of Oceania was part of the British Empire.

Three Captain Cook’s voyages (first in red, second in green, third in blue) Source: Wikipedia

French colonization:

In 1834 French missionaries came to Tahiti, but there was a trouble that finished with a French expulsion in 1836. Despite that, finally Tahiti and Tahuata were declared part of the French protectorate. Other parts of Oceania were also colonized by France when Napoleon was in charge, so at the end New Caledonia, Tuamotu Archipelago, Marquesas Islands, Rimatara and Rūrutu and French Polynesia.

Spanish colonization:

The Spanish explorers were the first ones to discover parts of Oceania with their voyages during the 16th century, but it was not until the 1874 that the Marshall Islands (that had been previously discovered by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar in 1529), were claimed as part of Spanish territory.

German colonization:

The emergence of imperialist Germany also made that this nation colonized some parts of Oceania. Thus, New Guinea in 1884 and Samoa in 1900 were established as Germany colonies. Even though, between 1914-1918 the Germany colonies were taken by Britain, turning Oceania into a British lake, fact that explains that today English is the main language in the continent.

Hence, the European colonization had important effects on the population that was already living in the region, the aborigines. During the colonial period, the European conquerors were guide for a desire to defend nationalist pride, that was seen through actions like the spread of Christianism, but they did not take into account the local people that was inhabiting the region. Thus, indigenous populations were not treat in a respectful way, the Europeans claimed the lands without worrying about the people that was living in there, and they just limited to implement their own European systems to the natives. All these actions had devastating impacts to the culture and traditions of these indigenous populations, as there was a considerable decrease on the population of indigenous people, and their effects are still present today.

Modern History

Oceania enjoys of an advantaged geographic position in the middle of the Pacific, so it has been involved with conflicts with the great powers of every era because of its great strategic, politics and economics. Therefore, the countries that made up Oceania have been many times involved in the rivalry between the various powers.

First World War:

One of the first conflicts that took place in Oceania was the occupation of Samoa in 1914, that was part of Germany, by New Zealand forces supported by Australians and French ones. Then, Australians also took the German New Guinea after a German surrender. Other islands as the Marshall Islands, German Micronesia or the Marianas were also taken from the German Empire.

Second World War:

Oceania played an important role during the Second World War between Japan and the United States. One of the most remarkable facts is the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to attack the United States naval base at Hawaii, leading this way the entry of United States into the War. There were also attacks on other Oceania islands such as Philippines. Later, the Japan invaded New Guinea, the Solomon Islands… So it can be seen how the Pacific region was a major battle zone, that supposed that more than 215,000 Japanese, Australian, and American troops died between 1942 and 1945. Some of the most important conflicts were the Battle of the -coral Sea, that occurred in the waters between Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, and the Battle of Guadalcanal. Thus, some territories were given to the Allies, the United Kingdom took the Solomon Islands, and United States took the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands.

During the Cold War some nuclear tests were proved in islands of Oceania, generating serious human and environmental impacts on these territories.

In the 20th century Australia and New Zealand were recognized as dominions, semi-independent polities under the British Crown. Later, in 1946 Polynesia status was also recognized as overseas territory, and their citizens were considered as French citizens. Hawaii became a state part of United States in 1959 and Fiji and Tonga were independent since 1970. Finally, in 1979 United States recognized the constitution of the Marshall Islands and the Pacific Islands Forum was created.

New Zealand troops in the Salomon Islands Source: Wikipedia