海洋岛屿 19

Human history across most of the South Pacific

Dates back less than 2,000 years.

By comparison, animal colonisers first arrived on these shores

over 30 million years ago.

Yet by the 12th century

people had colonised almost every habitable piece of land.

Surrounded by water

the ocean became embedded in their culture -

sometimes in surprising ways.

In the Banks Islands, women use the sea to make music.

And their songs celebrate the creatures that live in it.

No matter where people settled in the South Pacific

Their survival depended on a deep understanding

of the ocean and its wildlife.

And there's one ocean event

that has featured in the Pacific islanders' calendar

since they first arrived here.