---
name: Polynesian
period_ancient: -1500 - 1000
period_modern: 1800 - 2024
locations: Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Easter Island (Rapa
  Nui)
---

# Polynesian

## Cultural Context

**Figures Associated:**
- Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (IZ); beloved Hawaiian musician whose ukulele rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" became an anthem of gentle resistance. His music embodied Hawaiian sovereignty and cultural pride.

- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; Samoan-American actor and former wrestler who has brought Polynesian culture to mainstream audiences, proudly displaying his pe'a (traditional Samoan tattoo).

**Events Associated / Significant Cultural Impact:**
1. The Polynesian Wayfinding Renaissance; ancient Polynesians navigated thousands of miles across the Pacific using stars, waves, and bird patterns — no instruments. The Hōkūleʻa voyaging canoe revived this tradition in the 1970s, sparking cultural renewal.

2. Ta Moko and Tatau; Polynesian tattooing traditions carry genealogy, rank, and spiritual protection. Māori ta moko (facial tattoos) and Samoan pe'a are sacred practices that have influenced global tattoo culture.

**Fashion Icons / Symbolism:** Tapa cloth patterns, tiki carvings, tribal tattoo motifs, lei flower garlands, bone hook pendants


## Drug Connections

**Modern:** [MDMA](../../traits/overlays/molecules/mdma.md)

**Ancient:** [Kava](../../traits/overlays/molecules/kava.md), ʻAwa

## Sources

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian_navigation
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%81_moko
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwo%CA%BBole

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## Miberas with this Ancestor

[#0081](../../miberas/0081.md) • [#0146](../../miberas/0146.md) • [#0199](../../miberas/0199.md) • [#0204](../../miberas/0204.md) • [#0246](../../miberas/0246.md) • [#0271](../../miberas/0271.md) • [#0316](../../miberas/0316.md) • [#0346](../../miberas/0346.md) • [#0390](../../miberas/0390.md) • [#0424](../../miberas/0424.md) • [#0521](../../miberas/0521.md) • [#0568](../../miberas/0568.md) • [#0600](../../miberas/0600.md) • [#0609](../../miberas/0609.md) • [#0611](../../miberas/0611.md) • [#0662](../../miberas/0662.md) • [#0805](../../miberas/0805.md) • [#0840](../../miberas/0840.md) • [#0978](../../miberas/0978.md) • [#1009](../../miberas/1009.md) • [#1015](../../miberas/1015.md) • [#1062](../../miberas/1062.md) • [#1092](../../miberas/1092.md) • [#1236](../../miberas/1236.md) • [#1261](../../miberas/1261.md) • [#1332](../../miberas/1332.md) • [#1333](../../miberas/1333.md) • [#1401](../../miberas/1401.md) • [#1429](../../miberas/1429.md) • [#1474](../../miberas/1474.md) • [#1505](../../miberas/1505.md) • [#1660](../../miberas/1660.md) • [#1709](../../miberas/1709.md) • [#1793](../../miberas/1793.md) • [#2007](../../miberas/2007.md) • [#2015](../../miberas/2015.md) • [#2086](../../miberas/2086.md) • [#2097](../../miberas/2097.md) • [#2167](../../miberas/2167.md) • [#2203](../../miberas/2203.md) • [#2205](../../miberas/2205.md) • [#2273](../../miberas/2273.md) • [#2315](../../miberas/2315.md) • [#2339](../../miberas/2339.md) • [#2427](../../miberas/2427.md) • [#2870](../../miberas/2870.md) • [#2894](../../miberas/2894.md) • [#2914](../../miberas/2914.md) • [#2968](../../miberas/2968.md) • [#3067](../../miberas/3067.md) • ... and 109 more

*159 Miberas total*
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