Nomads of the Wind: A Natural History of Polynesia

by Peter Crawford

Accompanying a BBC2 series, this book tells the story of the Polynesians, a tenacious, voyaging people who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and discovered the paradise islands of the South Seas. Using the power of the wind and navigating by the stars, they crossed thousands of miles of open ocean in search of new lands such as Tahiti, Samao and New Zealand. The book explores the colourful plant and animal life which, like the Polynesians themselves, settled every speck of land in this extraordinary island world. From coral atolls alive with sharks and reef fish, to lush rain forests teeming with exotic plants, birds and insects, the islands of Polynesia have an intriguing natural history.

Genres: Anthropology, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is somewhat of a historical review of Polynesia with loads of info on how people moved around in the beginning years of life and how difficult it was! Too we are introduced to the movement of flora and fauna because of need and extinction 🥸

[Barry H. Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book published to accompany a BBC series which I have never seen. It is well and clearly written and illustrated to bring the amazing story of the Polynesian migration to life. There are a number of questions about the peoples, origins and reasons behind that migration that can never be answered as there are no written histories. No tribe or clan of any peoples had ever before or since attempted such a challenging journey across a limitless ocean, the Te-Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa.

A few months ago, I walked in three of the marae, the ancient temples on Mo'orea, and will be returning in a few months to visit Taputaputea, the great marae on Raiatea, which was in the "old times" the most sacred place in all 118 islands of Polynesia. The marae is still there and carefully maintained (there are good photos on-line). None of the marae on the other islands were spirtually legitimate unless at least one stone from Taputaputea was included in its construction. The largest marae ever built was done by a female chief on the SW coast of Tahiti. It no longer exists except for a signpost.

Polynesian history forms the background to two novels I currently have in-progress, one set in 1897, and the other in 2015.

In 1903, Paul Gauguin called Papeete, the only city in Polynesia, "a tropical slum town". There is some of that comment that is still relevant as the city has major hotels standing empty, never to be reopened, with black pearl shops on almost every corner, and the usual tourist stuff everywhere. It wasn't until we crossed to Mo'orea to the Club Bali Hai that we began to really experience mystic feeling of the islands.