Polynesian Triangle

The Polynesian Triangle is a big area of the Pacific Ocean. It has three main island groups at its corners: Hawaii (Hawaiʻi), Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and New Zealand (Aotearoa). This shape shows where Polynesian people lived long ago.

Beyond the triangle, Polynesian people lived as far north as Necker Island (Mokumanamana), as far east as Salas y Gómez Island (Motu Motiro Hiva), and as far south as Enderby Island (Motu Maha). There were also settlements on Norfolk Island and the Kermadec Islands (Rangitahua).

Today, many Polynesian people live in places like New Zealand with the Māori, Hawaii with the Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli), Tonga with the Tongans, Samoa with the Samoans, Niue with the Niueans, and Tahiti with the Tahitians. They speak languages that come from an old language spoken in Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. There are also special islands called Polynesian outlier islands outside the triangle, in areas like Melanesia and Micronesia.

History

Further information: Polynesian navigation and Discovery and settlement of Hawaii

People believe that all the cultures of Polynesia started from one group that lived in the South Pacific a long time ago. They came from a place called Malayo-Polynesian. Some people think Polynesians may have traveled far east to Salas and Gómez Island and far south to islands near New Zealand, but these places are not part of Polynesia because no communities stayed there for long.

Some think the way Polynesians moved around looks like an octopus with its head in Ra'iātea and arms spreading out across the Pacific Ocean. In their stories, this octopus has many names.