Early Polynesian Trade Network

National Geographic had a good piece the other day about the analysis of stone artifacts found in the east Polynesian islands of the Tuamoto group, about 1,000 miles east of Tahiti. These stone wood working tools were found to have come great distances, further supporting the idea that these Polynesian seafarers not only went long distances in their exploration and settlement, but also maintained a vast long distance trade network.

The clincher for this idea is that one of these stone tools has been chemically traced back to Hawaii, over 2500 miles to the north, and the only spot on the entire planet that a particular type a volcanic basalt is found. These findings corroborate the oral traditions of the Polynesian poeples that describe long voyages conducted with careful planning and skill, and the artifacts might suggest that the Tuamoto group might have been an important center of trade between the Hawaiian chain and older sites of Polynesian colonization such as Tahiti.