Polynesia: Did you mean...?

With its thick walls, high ceilings, large rooms, and wide verandahs, the colonial bungalow was constructed to meet the challenges of hot climates. Designed to keep cool air in, hot air out, and provide plenty of airy shade, the bungalow...

Tattoos are an ancient form of art appearing in various cultures throughout history. One of the earliest (and possibly the oldest) pattern of tattoos in the world was discovered on the frozen remains of the man known as Otzi the Iceman who...

Map showing the migration of Polynesians who it is thought were originally from Taiwan. They settled in the Polynesian Triangle that encompasses New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island as its corners. The Polynesians left Taiwan somewhere between...

An engraving by W. Watts, based on a drawing from life by William Hodges (1744–1797 CE), showing Tongan Polynesians and their canoes, from Captain James Cook’s (1728–1779 CE) visit to Tonga 1773-4 CE, published in Boats of the Friendly Isles...

This painting is of Tahitians in a canoe and was done by Henry Byam Martin, a ship captain who visited Tahiti in the mid-1800s CE. Martin was a captain in the British Navy who painted and drew during his travels. This picture was painted...

Learn more about TED-Ed Clubs here: https://ed.ted.com/clubs Visit the TED-Ed Clubs YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCskU_g7t6b5ecsA1CTS3y9Q View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-polynesian-wayfinders-navigate-the-pacific-ocean-alan-tamayose-and-shantell-de-silva...

In which John Green teaches you about the life and death of one of history's great explorers, Captain James Cook of the British Navy. He charted large swaths of the Pacific ocean, laid claim to Australia and New Zealand, and died a bizarre...

A 1947 photograph of the Kon-Tiki expedition raft taken from an attached dinghy as the raft crosses the Pacific Ocean on its way from Peru to Polynesia.

A front view of the Kon-Tiki expedition raft which Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) and his crew used to cross the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. The mask on the sale is a representation of the Sun god Kon-Tiki painted by expedition...

A 1951 photograph of Thor Herydahl (1914-2002), leader of the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition when he and five others crossed the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia on a balsa-wood raft. Library of Congress.