Author(s): Te Maire Tau; Kamanamaikalani Beamer; Peter M. Vitousek

Anthropology | The Pacific

Humans began to settle the area known as Polynesia between approximately 3,000 and 800 years ago, bringing material culture, including plants and animals, and ideas about societal organization with them. The settlers adapted to the specific biophysical features of the islands they discovered. This book analyzes the formation of their human-environment systems using oral histories, biophysical evidence, and historical records, arguing that the Polynesian islands can serve as useful models for how human societies in general interact with their environment. A collaboration among scholars, many Polynesian, this work shows how cultures adapted to novel environments in the past and offers insights to be drawn for global sustainability today.