People of northeast Asian ancestry have been settling in the islands of the west Pacific Ocean. The vast region they explore stretches from Easter Island in the east to Madagasgar in the west. This swath of the earth's surface, called the Oceanic Arena, is the one most newly occupied by
Homo sapiens.
The islanders take to the ocean in sophisticated outrigger canoes. They possess a formidable ability to navigate the oceans. Their sophisticated knowledge of astronomy, ocean currents, and meteorology allows them to complete ambitious sea voyages using no instruments of navigation. This expertise is passed from father to son through memorized songs and chants.
They speak languages in the Austronesian language group, the ancestor languages to Micronesian, Polynesian and other languages spoken in the Asia-Pacific today.
They make tools carved from granite, marble, sandstone, limestone, jade as well as wood, bone and coral. They live by fishing and gardening. They cultivate rice and other grains, raise pigs and cattle, and make pottery. They dance, they sing, and they play instruments.
For several centuries some of their number have been living on a mountainous tropical island. In time they will name the island Taiwan.
Here, in settlements along the coasts and in the lakes and rivers lining the steep mountains, the settlers are expanding their range of crops. They are learning to cultivate yams, millet, taro and cane as well as fruits indigenous to the island: coconuts, sago, breadfruit, and bananas. They have begun raising chickens and domesticating dogs. The coastal settlers send messages quickly across great distances by blowing conch shells. The mountain settlers are developing a style of singing that takes advantage of natural acoustics to carry their voices far.
These Austronesian people will make their home here for thousands of years to come. Some of their descendants will set forth for other islands and give rise to the great aboriginal cultures of the southwest Pacific, including those of Australia and the Philippines. 3,000 years from now they will begin processing metal to make tools.
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All species are transitional.