The ocean wasn’t enough to hold back the daring seafarers who settled the islands of East Polynesia beginning around 4,000 years ago. A new analysis of stone tools underscores the nautical skill of ancient Polynesian mariners. It indicates that, about 1,000 years ago and prior to European contact, these intrepid canoeists transported rocks for toolmaking from Hawaii to islands more than 4,000 kilometers to the south.
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