Melanesians facts for kids
Biak in Southwest Papua, Indonesia
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| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Melanesian languages, Papuan languages, Indonesian, English, English-based creoles, Rabaul Creole German, French | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Christianity, minority traditional Melanesian religion, and Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Aboriginal Australians, Austronesian peoples, Euronesians |
Melanesians are the native people of Melanesia. This area stretches from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands. They are the main group living there. Many Melanesians speak languages from the Austronesian family. Others speak Papuan languages, which are different. Some also speak creole languages. These include Tok Pisin and Bislama.
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Who are the Melanesians?
Melanesians are the original people of the islands of Melanesia. This region is in the Pacific Ocean. It includes countries like Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. Their history goes back tens of thousands of years.
Where do Melanesians come from?
Scientists believe the first people arrived in the area long ago. They reached a landmass called Sahul. Sahul included what is now Australia and New Guinea. This happened between 50,000 and 37,000 years ago. Later, rising sea levels separated New Guinea from Australia.
People from the Austronesian group also arrived. They came to eastern Melanesia about 3,000 years ago. These groups mixed over time. This led to many different cultures and languages.
Early studies thought Polynesians were closely related to Melanesians. However, newer studies show something different. Polynesians and Micronesians are more related to East Asians. They likely sailed through Melanesia quickly. They did not mix much with the local people.
Still, some Melanesian groups have a small amount of Austronesian genes. This is especially true for those who speak Austronesian languages. Papuan-speaking groups have less of this mix.
Scientists also found something amazing. Ancient human ancestors of Melanesians mixed with another group. These were the Denisovans. Denisovans were cousins of Neanderthals. This means Melanesians have some unique ancient genes.
What is unique about Melanesian hair?
Some Melanesians have natural blond hair. This is very rare outside of Europe. The blond hair in Melanesia is special. It comes from a different gene than European blond hair. This gene is called TYRP1.
Blond hair is more common in Melanesian children. Their hair often gets darker as they grow up.
Where do Melanesians live today?
Melanesians live in many islands in Oceania. These include:
- New Guinea (split between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia)
- The Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
- Fiji
- New Caledonia
Papua New Guinea is the largest Melanesian country. Its capital, Port Moresby, is the biggest city. Most people there are of Melanesian background.
In Australia, there are Torres Strait Islanders. They are also a Melanesian people. About 70,900 people identify as Torres Strait Islander.
See also
- List of ethnic groups of West Papua Province
- List of ethnic groups of Southwest Papua Province
- Aeta people
- Alfur people
- Austronesian peoples
- Malagasy people
- Micronesians
- Negrito
- Ni-Vanuatu
- Oceania
- Indigenous people of New Guinea
- Polynesians
- Sundaland
- Torres Strait Islanders
Images for kids
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PCA of people from eastern Eurasia and Oceania.
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PCA of ancient and modern people from around the world.
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Map of the Australo-Melanesian area.
