The Discovery of Western Oceania: A New Perspective

Settling the islands of Oceania required that thousands of kilometers of open ocean be crossed in stone-age vessels. This feat must surely rank among the most impressive achievements of mankind, but exactly how it occurred is unclear, since nothing definite is known about the navigation skills or vessels used at this time. Here we use a computer simulation to study the potential role of drift voyages and exploration by sailing downwind in the discovery of new island groups in the region of the Lapita expansion in western Oceania. Contradicting an important early simulation, our results show that both drift and downwind sailing voyages can account for all the major crossings in the Lapita region extending from Near Oceania to Samoa. Tonga and Samoa, at the eastern limits of this area, can only be reached under anomalous wind and current conditions, demonstrating the importance of considering interannual variability in assessing exploration and settlement theories.