Pre-Historic Island Hopping ‘Hobbits’ in the South Pacific

Although New Zealand and the Philippines are separated by more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km), the stories of how people first migrated to them, and how those stories were treated by scholars, show clearly that, in the words of the poet Bob Dylan, "the times, they are a changin'." A new day has dawned in the field of human origins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 [View in browser]() [Pre-Historic Island Hopping ‘Hobbits’ in the South Pacific]( Aug 27   [READ IN APP](   [Tahitian warrior dugouts, by Giulio Ferrario. (1827) (Public Domain)]( Although New Zealand and the Philippines are separated by more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km), the stories of how people first migrated to them, and how those stories were treated by scholars, show clearly that, in the words of the poet Bob Dylan, "the times, they are a changin'." A new day has dawned in the field of human origins. When Peter Jackson set up shop in New Zealand to spend 10 years filming his double trilogy-set of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he created a new tourism industry and reminded people all over the world of the beauty New Zealanders see every day. The first trilogy, released to the public in 2001, took the film industry by storm. But by 2012, when the second set began to fill theaters all over again, historians were prepared with a new set of books that explored New Zealand's mysterious background as well as its impressive beauty. [Three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean (Public Domain)]( Three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean ([Public Domain]( Discovering New Zealand Traditional historians tell that New Zealand was the world's last large island to be discovered and populated. The ancestors of the Māori were the first to arrive, making the discovery when they explored the Pacific from their home base in [Polynesia.]( They even remember the name of the navigator who made the discovery — a man by the name of Kupe. That being said, there are alternative possibilities that have a long and illustrious history. Some versions say the original pioneers were Celts, Greeks, Egyptians, or even Chinese. One of the first alternative studies is found in a booklet called Lords of the Soil, written by Kerry Bolton in 1987. He put forth the theory that Europeans, or, in his words, ‘a Europoid race’, populated the country ever since ancient times... Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Ancient Origins UNLEASHED to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. [Start trial]( A subscription gets you: High-quality articles, podcasts, and video interviews Post comments and join the community   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2023 Ancient Origins 6 Abbey Business Park, Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Baldoyle, Dublin 13, D13N738, Ireland [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()