Oceana before European contact: As a group you must include basic information (map, population,

picture) about Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia and Australia. You can then decide to focus on any one
of the four and create a museum exhibit for one of them.

Oceana Polynesians

Wayfinders: A Pacific OdysseyPolynesian History and Origin

Historical and Cultural Resources of American Samoa

Alphabetical list of countries in Australia and Oceania

Australia

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Micronesia
Nauru

New Zealand

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Samoa

Solomon Islands
Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Oceana
Geography of Australia video
Polynesian History YouTube
History Video

Melanesia, 18001900 A.D.

Melanesia culture
Oceania Map
Australias aborigines and the earth
Australias aborigines family life
Australias aborigines resources

The Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Jangil, Onge, and Sentinelese probably

represent the purest example of Africa's original pioneers in Asia.
Traditionally, the music of these islands was vocal, sung either in chorus or
solo. The lyrics of their songs, whether about dugong-spearing, bow-making
or pig-hunting, could generally be considered work songs.
Malay Peninsula
In southeast Asia, the Mani are a remnant population of the original pioneers
that live in modern day Thailand. In Malaysia, the Semang are referred to
as one of the nation's groups of orang asli, or "original people." The earliest
recorded mention of the Semang in the Malay Peninsula is circa 200 BCE,
although their presence obviously stretches much further back.

Mani girls
One of their interesting instruments includes the nose flute. It's pretty much
impossible to find any clips though... dang!
Papua
Human remains in Papua have been dated to around 50,000 years ago.
After India, Papua may've been another major setting point for humans

leaving Africa. It was from there that people branched out into Maritime
Southeast Asia.

Taiwan
In Taiwan, Austronesians were long thought to be the island's aborigines.
Nowadays, it's known that there were inhabitants much earlier, the most
famous being the so-called (and now vanished or absorbed) Changping
Culture.

Changping
The culture's best-known site is (Baxiandong) in Taitung County. In 2009, a
team from Academia Sinica discovered and confirmed the age of Taiwan's
oldest artifacts inside the cave.

Australia
The indigenous peoples of Australia include the Alyawarre, Anmatjera,
Arrente, Cammeraygal, Dieri, Eora, Gunai, Gunivugi, Gurindji, Guugu
Yimithir, Jarrakan, Kalkadoon, Kamilaroi, Kaurna, Koori Kulin,
Lurtija, Maralinga Tjarutja, Murrinh-Patha, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri,
Ngunnawal, Noongar, Pitjantjatjara, Spinigex, Tharawal, Tiwi,
Warlpiri, Wiradjuri, Wonnarua, Wapa, Yolngu, Yorta Yorta and many
others.

Arrarnta boys from Ntaria

They are thought by most to have arrived in Australia between 40,000 and
50,000 years ago. It is believed that first human migration to Australia was
achieved when this landmass formed part of the Sahul continent, connected
to Papua by a land bridge. Others may've crossed the Timor Sea.

Many forms of traditional music formed across the vast

continent. Bunggul developed around the Mann River and is known for its
usually epic storytelling. In most cultures there are also clan songs and death
wails. The best known symbol of indigenous Australian music is the
didgeridoo, one of the oldest known instruments. Traditionally it was played
only by men on an aerophone made from eucalyptus with a beeswax
mouthpiece. Nowadays they can be made from materials like PVC and are
often played by white people with dreadlocks.
Melanesia
The Melanesian subregion of Oceania, (from Greek: "black" and
, "islands") includes Amplett Islands, Bismarck Archipelago,
d'Entrecasteaux Islands, Fiji, Louisiade Archipelago, Maluku Islands,
New Caledonia, Papua, Norfolk Island, Raja Ampat Islands, Rotuma,
Schouten Islands, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, Torres Strait
Islands, Trobriand Islands, Vanuatu and Woodlark Island.

Solomon Islander Children

Some of the islands were settled around 33,000 years ago via boats, and in
some cases, land bridges. For tens of thousands of years, they were the only
game in town, until, around 4,000 years ago, the Austronesians arrived,
resulting in a long period of interaction that resulted in many complex
changes in genetics, languages, and culture. In the case of remote Fiji, it
appears that the Melanesians actually arrived after their neighbors, the
Austronesians, around 2,500 years ago.
Vocal music is very common across Melanesia. Folk instruments included
many kinds of drums, flutes, pipes and slit-log gongs.
Philippines
The indigenous Aetas live primarily in The Philippines' northern Luzon
Island. Their Austronesian neighbors, the Ilocano, called them pugut,
meaning a sort of forest spirit. They probably arrived to the Philippines some
30,000 years ago via land bridge.

Aeta Men
The Aeta have a musical heritage consisting of various types of agung
ensembles. Agung are gongs which provide drone without any accompanying
melodic instrument.

Micronesia
The Micronesian subregion of Oceania includes Kiribati, the Marianas,
the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, Nauru and Wake Island.
The islands were settled by successive waves from Melanesia and
Austronesia between 3000 BCE and 1300 CE.

Dancers from Kiribati

Their primarily vocal folk music is based around mythology and rituals and
covers a range of styles believed to have been introduced in dreams and
trances, rather than composed by people.