| Abstract: |
During much of the 20th century, human diversity and prehistory in the Pacific Islands were often framed in simple terms. Many agreed that there were two kinds of native peoples on the Pacific Islands, sometimes labeled as Polynesians (including Micronesians) and Melanesians and now more often as Austronesians and Papuans. Furthermore, it was said that these two peoples had arrived in the Pacific during two separate periods of settlement. Some questioned the simplicity of this story, but it continued to dominate how many thought about the islanders and their past. The simplicity of this chronicle masks its deficiencies as a framework for understanding human diversity and prehistory in the Pacific. It is not just simple, it is too simple. It is also based on unrealistic assumptions about the character and differentiation of human populations.
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