Polynesian Navigational Expansion (Mid-13th Century)

Timeline

1. 1241–1245Samoa–Tonga–Fiji island chain · Western PolynesiaRegular double-hulled canoe voyaging continued between the islands of Western Polynesia; chiefly and priestly classes consolidated cross-island political ties through marriage alliances and tribute relations, and navigation techniques were most mature in this region.
2. 1245–1250Society Islands–Marquesas route · East PolynesiaIslands of Eastern Polynesia continued to extend population and cultural influence eastward and southward; archaeological and linguistic evidence indicates that small-scale migration and recolonization activities still occurred in this period, with subsistence resources such as taro, breadfruit, and pigs spreading along the sea routes.