Melanesians
Videos
Melanesians are the predominant and Indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in an area stretching from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands. Most speak one of the many languages of the Austronesian language fa
Biak people in Southwest Papua, Indonesia
A Fijian mountain warrior, photograph by Francis Herbert Dufty, 1870s.
Girls from Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Videos
Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an archipelagic country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is 1,750 km east of northern Aust
Melanesians
…diverged from Eurasians 51,000 to 72,000 years ago, and from each other around 25,000 to 40,000 years ago. The eastern part of Melanesia, which includes Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji, was first inhabited by Austronesian peoples, who created the Lapita culture, and later followed by Melanesian groups. They…
Cave drawings, Lelepa Island, associated with the Roy Mata World Heritage Site
Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós was the first European to arrive in Vanuatu, in 1606. He named Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu.
James Cook landing at Tanna island, c. 1774
Tanna men on a boat, c. 1905