The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-06-11
The Route of the Poly
nesian Migration.
The Means BY Which Seeds Reach
Localities Plants and
Their Names.

10 lay NOMH the TRACK. Inc OCEAN cur
rents have been occupied ages in trans
porting seeds and fruits to the Pacific
islands from Indo- Malaga More par
ticularly the seeds and fruits of the
shore-plants have been in this fashion
carried to this region, since as a rule
those of island plants have no buoy
ancy. In this manner some shore
plants have been able to establish |
themselves on almost every island in
the tropical Pacific, whilst others again
have but partially accomplished the
process. 1t is in the incomplete opera |
ton that we find our clue; and from
Natures failures to stock the shores of
these Islands with Asiatic littoral
plants we obtain our most valuable in
dications of the track pursued by the
floating seed.
l thought this matter over some
years ago whilst residing for a time in
an unwholesome, swampy district on
the Java coast, which was tenanted al
most exclusively by the Nipa palm
(Nipa fruticaus). This so-called palm,
as far as foliage is concerned, has the
appearance of a stemless Cocoanut tree
arising directly out Of the mud; whilst
it bears a single head of fruit some
what like that of the Hala or Panda-
mus tree, but two or three times its
size. II is of frequent occurrence in the
warm regions of Asia and in the Ma
layan Islands, lining estuaries and oc-
cupying low, muddy shores and eX-
tending, where the conditions admit it,
for miles inland The separate fruits
are found in great numbers floating in
the open sea and amongst the Islands
of the Indian archipelago. They came
under my notice washed up on the
shores of Keeling atoll in the Indian
Ocean, floating amongst Krakatoa
pumice in the Java Sea, and amongst
the floating lines of seed drift in the
Solomon Islands. Like the Cocoanut
tree, the Nipa palm has many uses
Its leaf-branches in particular. were
used for matching, furnishing the
'atap' of the Malayan peoples. 1t bears
in Further India the name which the
Cocoanut palm possesses in Malaga
and Polynesia, and since botanists gen
orally place the home of the Cocoanut
in tropical America. it would appear
probable that when the Polynesians
entered the Pacific and passed beyond
the limits of the Nipa palm. they gave
its archaic name of "Niu" to the
strengthening Cocoanut tree When
we find in any locality the Cocoanut
tree we are never able to exclude the
possibility of mans intervention Will
the Nipa palm this difficulty does no
arise. 1t is one of the few trees abou
which we can with certainty affirm
that ii witnessed the advent of prim
eval man in the tropical regions o
Asia and in the Indian archipelago.
Now the Nina palm has endeavoret
to enter the Pacific by two routes from
its Asiatic home Reaching New Gui
nea, its progress along the line of tn
Melanesian archpelagos has been ar
rested in the northwestern part of tn
Solomon Islands, where I found it il
1884. In the other route it has reache
Ualn, at the eastern end of the Caro-
line group. where Kittlitz. the Russia
naturalist observed it in the earl
part of this century From these an
other data. il NAV be assumed that I'll
through the agency of the Pacific cour
ter current by way of the Caroline Is
ands.
The next indications of the track {
the floating seeds are afforded by tw
other swamp trees with floating fruit
the Mangrove (Rhizophora mucronf
TAI and Carapa moluccensis. which al
common in the Indian archipelago
and have reached Fiji. Tonga and 81
moa. We have therefore to prolong til
track from the Caroline Island
through the Marshall, Gilbert. and z
lice groups. to West Polynesia. Til
portion of the track might have bee
accomplished during the season
northwesterly winds.
We find our next clue in those Iii
toral plants that like Darlington
speciosa have established themselvt
in almost every tropical island of til
South Pacific, but have failed to reac
the Hawaiian Islands The plant iu
named is the Hutu of East Polynesi
the Futu of West POLYNESIA. and II
Vutu of Fiji. and it bears the san
name in Malay. Sundanese. in the Phi
ippine languages, and in several 9th,
languages of the archipelago This tr,
which bears, therefore, the same nan
from Java to Tahiti. is one of the mo
characteristic and most conspicuous
the littoral trees of the tropical PaC
fic. It's square. buOyant fruits. whiC
are often employed as floats for fisl
ing nets, are Of common occurrence
the open sea- l have noticed them
the Indian Ocean. half way betwet
the Straits of Sunda and the Keelir
Islands. and they have been at di
ferent times observed in the Pacit
several hundred miles from land. Fro
the distribution of this tree we are Q
abled to infer that the path of the Dirt
ing seed extended east from Fiji al
Tonga TO Tahitian and Paumotu I!
ands. Its absence from the Hawaiii
group is significant, and goes to she
that these Islands have received the
shore plants by the circuitous route
Fiji, Samoa and Tahiti If the ira
had been more direct, as by the Mf
shall Islands. the tree would have be
ages ago established in this group,
at all events, its stranded fruits woJ
be gathered on these shores. IT h
however. been unable to accomplish
means of its floating fruits the oceal
voyage across the South Pacific, a
then back northwards to Hawaii.
Yet this is the track which the M