From a Different Perspective

When Europeans originally encountered the people of Polynesia, speculation surrounded the ability of the “primitive” natives from having skills beyond the simple tasks of fishing, gathering, farming and especially wayfaring. Without seeing familiar tools and a written language, it was difficult for the newcomers to fathom any perpetuation of greater knowledge by the indigenous people of these islands. Nonetheless, what is often overlooked is the mental state and professions of these Western explorers themselves. Although determined, adventurous, knowledgeable in navigation, and literate, the European visitors did not attribute the same characteristics to those who had already settled these places. The initial Europeans who visited were not specifically trained in many of the abstract concepts required for understanding these foreign languages, cultures and ideals like the growing the number of anthropologists and archaeologists of today. For those European explorers to expect the native settlers of Polynesia to understand and explain their navigation methods to a foreign visitor would be like asking the pilgrims who sailed with Christopher Columbus how they arrived in America. They would know it was by boat and possibly any stops along the way but exactly how it was done would remain a mystery. Similar to those explorers, the original Polynesian navigators would’ve been on a voyage to another place or returning to their homeland and not available to answer questions.