Polynesian culture - Religion
Polynesian belief systems emphasized animism, a perspective in which all things, animate and inanimate, were believed to be endowed to a greater or lesser degree with sacred supernatural power. That power, known among Polynesians as mana, could be nullified by various human actions, and many of the region’s tapu (“prohibitions” or “taboos”) were intended to prevent such behaviours. As is typical of animist cultures, religious concerns permeated all aspects of life. Polynesian chiefs had great mana—so great, in fact, that in some societies, if a commoner touched the chief’s shadow, only that person’s death could compensate for the injury to the chief’s mana. In much of Polynesia it is still considered to be in very poor taste to step over a person’s legs, pass one’s hand over a person’s head, or stand with one’s head higher than that of a person of high rank, because these actions are believed to sap a person’s mana. Robert Carl Suggs Robert C.
Polynesian Mythology - Myth Encyclopedia - god, legend, war, world, creation,...
Polynesia is a vast region of the Pacific Ocean consisting of many hundreds of widely separated, culturally and politically diverse island groups. Ranging from Midway and Hawaii in the north to New Zealand in the south, the triangular area called Polynesia also includes Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotu, the Cook Islands, and the Pitcairn Islands. Although the mythology of Polynesia took different forms on various islands, many of the basic stories, themes, and deities were surprisingly similar throughout the region. Foundations of Religion and Myth. Scholars believe that humans first migrated to Polynesia from Southeast Asia about 2,000 years ago.
Polynesian languages
Polynesian languages, group of about 30 languages belonging to the Eastern, or Oceanic, branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family and most closely related to the languages of Micronesia and Melanesia. Spoken by fewer than 1,000,000 persons spread across a large section of the Pacific Ocean, the Polynesian languages show a relative homogeneity, indicating that they have dispersed only in the last 2,500 years from an original centre in the Tonga-Samoa area. The best-known Polynesian languages are Samoan, with about 200,000 speakers; Maori, spoken in New Zealand by about 100,000 persons; Tahitian, with an unknown number of native speakers but widely used as a lingua franca in French Polynesia; and Hawaiian, with only a few remaining native speakers but formerly spoken by perhaps 100,000 persons.
Polynesia - New World Encyclopedia
Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the triangle Polynesia (from the Greek words meaning "many islands") is a large grouping of over one thousand islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The term "Polynesia" was coined by Charles de Brosses in 1756, and originally applied to all the islands of the Pacific. In 1831 Jules Dumont d'Urville introduced the terms Micronesia and Melanesia in a lecture to the Geographical Society of Paris. This division into three distinct Pacific sub-regions remains in widespread use today. Geography
What is the Climate In Turkey? - Live and Invest Overseas
Most of Turkey has a Mediterranean climate and enjoys four seasons that can be more and less harsh depending on the region. Areas of Turkey nearer to the Black Sea experience the cooler Oceanic climate. Areas of Turkey near the Sea of Marmara (this area includes Istanbul) have a transitional climate that straddles both Mediterranean and Oceanic climates.
Facts, Topography, History, & Volcanoes
Hawaii, Hawaiian Hawai‘i, volcanic island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies southeast of Maui island and constitutes Hawaii county. Known as the Big Island, it is the southeasternmost and largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Its area of some 4,030 square miles (10,438 square km) continues to grow as Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano, continues to pour lava into the ocean. The island is formed by five volcanoes (Hualalai, Kilauea, Kohala, Mauna Kea, and Mauna Loa) that are connected by lava saddles (ridges) and is the youngest island geologically of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian Myths and Legends
Hawaii is full of myths and legends - stories that are full of passion, betrayal, loyalty, birth and death. According to W.D. Westervelt, one of the most famed re-tellers of Hawaiian myths and legends back in the early 1900s, some of these myths and legends were very similar to the stories told in Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and other islands in the Pacific Ocean. These Hawaiian stories tell the tales of gods and men, ghosts and goblins. One Hawaiian chant speaks of as many as "four thousand gods" of the Hawaiian people.
Haiti - Climate
Haiti has a warm, humid tropical climate characterized by diurnal temperature variations that are greater than the annual variations; temperatures are modified by elevation. Average temperatures range from the high 70s F (about 25 °C) in January and February to the mid-80s F (about 30 °C) in July and August. The village of Kenscoff, at some 4,700 feet (1,430 metres), has an average temperature of about 60 °F (16 °C), whereas Port-au-Prince, at sea level, has an average of 79 °F (26 °C).
Hawaii - Government and society
Constitutional framework Hawaii is governed by a constitution that was originally adopted in 1950; it was amended in 1959, at the time of admission to statehood, and further amended at the constitutional convention of 1968. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a joint ticket for four-year terms. They are not permitted to serve more than two consecutive terms. The only other elected members in the 17 departments of the executive branch are the members of the Board of Education.
