Jane's Oceania Home Page

Jane's Oceania Home Page exists to provide visitors with a window through which they can view life in various parts of the Pacific Islands. People of the Pacific Islands have long co-existed with the environment - the sea, the sky and the land.

The term Oceania is normally used to designate all the islands of the Central and the South Pacific including Australia (continent), New Zealand and sometimes the Malay Archipelago. On this Web site, the focus is primarily directed towards the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (including the Polynesian nation of Hawai'i). Please note that Oceania is not a continent.

The Pacific Ocean is huge. From the west coast of North America, one can travel outward for 9,000 miles across the water without seeing land until one reaches Asia. Alternatively, one can sail from the North Pole to the South Pole for 8,000 miles and that also would be in the Pacific Ocean. The sheer size of the Pacific Ocean is hard to grasp for it covers almost one-third of the world's surface and contains almost one-half of its water; it is wide and deep enough for all the continents to be immersed under its waves. ( Central Pacific Islands )

The first European to see the Pacific was Balboa who was later executed by his political enemies. In 1517, a Portuguese nobleman named Magellan (Magalhaes) proposed a route to the Pacific by way of America instead of the recognized course from South Africa on the path of the trade winds. On 28th November 1520, Magellan passed through the southern tip of America which is now called the Strait of Magellan and sailed into the Pacific Ocean. Magellan gave the order for the ships to turn north-east. After incredible hardship, the first land they saw was right across the Pacific at Guam in Micronesia. They went on and Magellan was killed in a battle in the Philippines. It was not until the 17th century that Dutch merchants discovered parts of Polynesia. Tasman reached New Zealand and Roggeveen landed on Easter Island.

The leaders of the early expeditions kept logs in which they recorded their impressions of those things they had seen in Oceania. These accounts are interesting in terms of the descriptions of what they actually saw, but their interpretations of native culture were not always accurate. Many of the whalers and traders who came afterwards did not fully appreciate and understand the oral literature of our people. Also, many of the missionaries who followed in their wake were too busy substituting their own mythology to take an immediate interest in the exact details of the mythology they sought to destroy. Island people were given new standards of value in which their myths and traditions were given no commercial or spiritual recognition. The continuity of their teaching was broken.

So much of the old world created by our island ancestors has passed away. The stone temples are now in ruins and the temple drums and shell trumpets have long been silent. Tane, Rongo, Tagaloa, Nareau and other members of the divine family of the Sky-father and the Earth-mother are still with us even though so much of the regalia and symbols of our spiritualism have been scattered among museums around the world.

What the future holds may be unclear particularly when the ocean may claim many of our islands and many of our people are still under the control of others. Perhaps by reclaiming our cultural values we can understand who we are and what the future may hold for our people of Oceania.

The following poem encapsulates the above, from the time of the early voyages through

our island mythology, to the present problems of global warming.

Sitting by the Sea

I sit by the sea

And let the waves talk to me

With stories of days gone by

About seafarers of old and sailors so bold

And frigate birds high in the sky.

The lapping of the waves

Recalls better days

When our people were free to roam

The great oceans wide

With the wind and stars as our guide

Looking for some place called home.

Those mythical men

We will never see again

And gods that we still call our own

How the world came to be

For people like me

Where our spirits forever did roam.

Now the waves on the shore

Don't seem the same any more

Their stories full of grief

Are filled with a warning

About global warming and its consequences

For our people on the reef.

Yet I still sit by the sea

While the waves talk to me

With stories of days gone by

About seafarers of old and sailors right bold

And frigate birds high in the sky.

Poem by Jane Resture

Our People On The Reef

http://www.ecology.info/our-people.htm

I think it is important for us to always remember that Island life is really quite simple but is governed by very complex customs and rituals. These customs and rituals are a very important part of our lives from before we are born until after we die. They depict the great respect we have for our elders and ancestors and determine the way that they are treated, even after death. The customs and rituals give us the strength to cope in extreme hardship and when our environment is very hostile. They allow us to relate to the sea and all the creatures that live in the sea, and tell us that the sea, which provides us with our existence, can also be both our friend and enemy.

Island life may seem on the surface to be very idyllic but, in fact, our very existence is often very precarious. So many island communities live on small coral outcrops, often only a little above sea level. These outcrops can be very easily overtaken by the sea, however, despite all this, these atolls are our home and are inhabited by people with a great love for life. We are affectionate and friendly people who love laughing.

Finally, for those visitors who would like to say Hello to their host, I have included a little personal information, in addition to a Guestbook, on my Jane's Web Page. There is also a Chat Room (below) for the convenience of visitors who would like to find out more about the countries of Oceania or to simply chat between themselves. Thank you.

For your free listening 24 hours daily!

Tropical Sounds, Pacific Islands Radio

Soak in the enchanting sounds of the sun-drenched Pacific Islands

Tropical Sounds, Radio Melanesia
Tropical Sounds, Micronesia Music Radio

Pacific Music Radio is also broadcasting in mp3PRO Stereo

You are invited to enjoy the enchanting sounds of the Pacific in high fidelity FM Stereo!

Jane's Pacific Islands Radio Stations broadcast selected Playlists of island music continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Playlists include many carefully selected tracks from almost all of the Pacific islands of Oceania. I sincerely hope that you enjoy listening to our beautiful, cultural, unique and traditional Pacific Island music.

	Pacific Islands Radio
	Radio Melanesia
	Micronesia Music Radio
	Pacific Music Radio - mp3PRO FM Stereo

Jane Resture's Oceania Page was developed to present and: highlight an extended range of material in conjunction with; Jane's Oceania Home Page. In doing this, it will allow the
visitor to readily access information using the menu or the
clickable map provided for the Pacific Islands.

Jane's Oceania Home Page Newsletter

to get the latest news, information and Web site updates!
Please enter your email address below,
then click the 'Join' button for your free Newsletter!

To access information on Jane's Oceania Home Page, you can:

1. Use the Free Find Search Engine below to search by title or to obtain an alphabetical listing by clicking on the Site Map

2. Use "Jane's Express Oceania Home Page" for a rapid access to individual Home Pages

3. Search the comprehensive list by clicking on the red dots below

4. Click on the relevant flag - below the comprehensive list - for the country of your choice

*Jane Resture's Oceania Page

for more information about the Pacific Islands*

The frigate bird
The flying fish
It is time for us
To make a wish

And I wish for the sunrise
To be beautiful each time
With days that are perfect
And nights so sublime

And I wish for the sunset
To be like a long red sail
Each and every day
And you and I will always stay

Whatever we wish
Will surely come true
And I wish for happiness
For me and you

And I wish for the world
To live in peace
To live and love as one
To a simple beat

And I wish for us all
To have our lives full of love
Full of joy and happiness
And eternal love

Oceania Time Zones

Please click on the PayPal button to become a supporter of Jane's Oceania Home Page by making a donation. Thank you so much for your kind support.

Owner and Webmaster: Jane Resture

(E-mail: jane@janeresture.com - 13th March 2006)

since 1st July 1999