Who First Settled Oceania? Papuans (60 KYA), Then Austronesians (3 KYA)

Peopling of Oceania: Two Major Waves

1️⃣ Papuans (~60,000 years ago)

• First sapiens in Sahul (New Guinea + Australia landmass).
• Hunter-gatherers, highland horticulture (taro, banana, sugarcane) by 9,000 BP.
• Genetic ancestors of modern Papuans, Aboriginal Australians.

2️⃣ Austronesians (~3,000 years ago)

• Origin: Taiwan → Philippines → Island SE Asia → Pacific.
• Lapita culture: pottery, outrigger canoes, pigs, chickens, taro, yams.
• Settled Remote Oceania: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa → later Hawai'i, Rapa Nui, Aotearoa (NZ).
• Mixed with Papuans in Near Oceania → modern Melanesians.

🧬 Genetic Legacy

Polynesians = ~75% Austronesian, ~25% Papuan ancestry. Navigated by stars, swells, birds — greatest maritime expansion in history.