Oceanic Migration

Oceanic Migration studies the prehistoric peopling of the Pacific. It uses science and mathematics to expand the research base of Pacific prehistory and casts new light on this final human expansion. It explores the fundamental roles of oceanography and of global climate change in determining the paths, sequence, timing and range of Spice Island-based maritime migrations ranging across a quarter of the globe. The book is of interest to Pacific prehistorians, oceanographers and American anthropologists concerned with the diffusionist debate. For oceanographers it presents the new idea of the ro.

Cover -- Contents -- Part I: Early Exploration Strategies and Migration Paths -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Genetic Evidence for a Spice Island Polynesian Homeland -- 1.3 Cold Adaptation -- 1.4 A New Focus -- 1.5 Some of the Implications of a Spice Island-Based Polynesian Prehistory -- 1.6 Consilience -- References -- 2 The Genetic Context -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Speculative Prehistories for the Lapita Peoples -- 2.3 Genetic Evidence for a Lapita Homeland in Wallacea -- 2.4 Evidence for a Spice Island Homeland from the Study of Commensal Animals -- 2.5 Polynesian Cold Resistance and Famine Resistance: Houghton's Evidence -- 2.6 Houghton's Prehistory for the Proto-Polynesians -- References -- 3 The Oceanographic Context -- 3.1 The West Pacific Warm Pool -- 3.2 The Oceanographic Functions of the West Pacific Warm Pool -- 3.3 The Major West Pacific Warm Pool Currents -- 3.4 Early Evidence for Maritime Trading in the Spice Island Region -- 3.5 The West Pacific Warm Pool as a Long-Distance Voyaging Nursery -- 3.6 Spice Island Expansion from Regional to Long-Distance Trading After the Last Ice Age Flood -- 3.7 International Spice Trading -- 3.8 Ancient Spice Island Tra…