Search Results: Polynesia

Menehune is the term applied to short-statured, forest-dwelling creatures of Hawaiian mythology and is part of a common mythology throughout Polynesia that describes secretive, supernatural beings with human-like attributes. Mysterious supernatural...

The hei tiki is a small personal adornment, fashioned by hand from tough pounamu (New Zealand greenstone or nephrite jade), and is worn around the neck. Hei means something looped around the neck, and tiki is a generic word used throughout...

Map showing the Polynesian Triangle and some of its islands.

An 1893-4 oil on canvas, Self-portrait with Manao Tupapau, by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), the French post-impressionist painter. The artist painted this while in Paris where he was attempting to exhibit his works painted in Polynesia. In the...

An 1892 oil on burlap mounted on canvas, Manao Tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Watching), by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) the French post-impressionist painter. Painted in Polynesia, the artist considered this one of his most important works...

Map showing the migration of Polynesians who it is thought were originally from Taiwan. They settled in the Polynesian Triangle that encompasses New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island as its corners. The Polynesians left Taiwan somewhere between...

This painting is of Tahitians in a canoe and was done by Henry Byam Martin, a ship captain who visited Tahiti in the mid-1800s CE. Martin was a captain in the British Navy who painted and drew during his travels. This picture was painted...

An engraving by W. Watts, based on a drawing from life by William Hodges (1744–1797 CE), showing Tongan Polynesians and their canoes, from Captain James Cook’s (1728–1779 CE) visit to Tonga 1773-4 CE, published in Boats of the Friendly Isles...

In which John Green teaches you about the life and death of one of history's great explorers, Captain James Cook of the British Navy. He charted large swaths of the Pacific ocean, laid claim to Australia and New Zealand, and died a bizarre...

Learn more about TED-Ed Clubs here: https://ed.ted.com/clubs Visit the TED-Ed Clubs YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCskU_g7t6b5ecsA1CTS3y9Q View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-polynesian-wayfinders-navigate-the-pacific-ocean-alan-tamayose-and-shantell-de-silva...