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72-581: The Oakland Asian Cultural Center , also referred to as the OACC , is an Oakland-based nonprofit cultural center that carries out Asian and Pacific Islander American arts and culture programs. It is located in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland Chinatown , residing three blocks away from the 12th Street Civic Center BART station on Broadway. In the early 1980s, a community coalition asked for

144-535: A "cross-roads of the Pacific — a racial and geographic link connecting Oceania, Southeast Asia and Indonesia ." Debate exists over whether or not the Philippines should be categorized with Pacific Islands of shared Austronesian origin or with the mainland nations of Asia. The islands of the Philippines do not have oceanic geology, and instead sit on the continental shelf of Asia. As such, they are sometimes deemed as

216-1005: A Pacific Island, or as both a continent and a Pacific Island. Australia is a founding member of the Pacific Islands Forum , which is now recognized as the main governing body for the Oceania region. It functions as a trade bloc and deals with defense issues, unlike with the Pacific Community, which includes most of the same members. By 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum included all sovereign Pacific Island nations, such as Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and Tonga, in addition to dependencies of other nations, such as American Samoa, French Polynesia and Guam. Islands which have been fully integrated into other nations, including Easter Island (Chile) and Hawaii (United States), have also shown interest in joining. Tony deBrum , Foreign Minister for

288-559: A Polynesian race. Beyond her own sphere of association, New Zealand's trading influence is prominent in Tonga, Fiji and other areas of the Pacific with Commonwealth affiliations." Regarding Australia, he further wrote, "Australia plays a leading economic role in the south-west Pacific area — commonly known as Melanesia. Fiji, the New Hebrides , the Solomons, even French-controlled New Caledonia have

360-464: A few hundred years after their discoveries, and initially were sometimes used as prisons for convicts. Today only a small number of them are inhabited, mainly by Spanish -speaking mainlanders of mestizo or White Latin American origin. These individuals are not considered Pacific Islanders under the standard ethnically based definition. In a broad sense, they could still possibly be seen as encompassing

432-807: A geological extension of Asia. In his 2012 book Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education , American author James A. Banks claimed that, "although islands such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia , Taiwan, Japan and the Aleutian Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, islanders from these locales are not typically considered Pacific Islanders. They are usually considered Asian, with Aleuts considered Alaskan natives." Thus, because proximity does not determine ethnicity, only through defined connections such as Maori(Polynesian) and Rapa Nui natives(Polynesian) it has to be evident that "islands" although nearby to Oceana,

504-473: A major trade connection with Australia. The thriving little republic of Nauru was administered by Australia before its recent independence. Further afield, in western Polynesia, Australia provides economic and technical aid in Tonga and Western Samoa. Much of Fiji's tourist trade comes from 'down under'. Among the oceanic islands which are part of the Commonwealth of Australia are Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island,

576-573: A small Spanish-speaking segment of Oceania , along with the Easter Island inhabitants, who were eventually colonized by Chileans . The 1996 book Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas notes that Spanish was once commonly spoken in the Pacific on the colonial-era Philippines , further stating, "at the present time, the Spanish language is not widely used in

648-703: A space for a pan-Asian Cultural Center and the Asian Library, expressing a desire for an artistic and cultural space in the Chinatown area of Oakland. Historian Eve Ma notes that the Oakland Asian Cultural Center started in December 1984 as the East Bay Chinese Culture Center. In 1987, as it began acquiring help from the city government and recognizing that Chinatown's composition had changed,

720-526: Is named after Edward W. Chin. Chin donated $ 250,000 towards the completion of the center's auditorium, a space that is used for major events. In the past, the OACC hosted events featuring traditional and contemporary Asian arts, music, and dance with family-friendly activities and vendors such as the Harvest Moon Festival Celebration and Elements of Rhythm: Drums of Asia. Recurring events include

792-628: Is now commonly spoken in a bilingual manner, with some having race-mixed with Mestizo Chilean settlers. However, the inhabitants consider their island and its culture to be Polynesian, and do not view themselves as South Americans. The population of the Pacific Islands is concentrated in Papua New Guinea , New Zealand (which has a majority of people of European descent ), Hawaii, Fiji, and Solomon Islands . Most Pacific Islands are densely populated, and habitation tends to be concentrated along

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864-567: Is one of the only other habitable oceanic islands to have had no contact with humans prior to European discovery. The island is currently administered by Australia, and Its residents are primarily European Australians who originated from the mainland, with a small number also being Asian Australians . Like with the Spanish-speaking islanders in the southeastern Pacific, they would not normally be considered Pacific Islanders under an ethnically based definition. Remote and uninhabitable islands in

936-407: Is seen as a proper continent in the sense that it is "one of the parts of the world". In his 1879 book Australasia , British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace commented that, "Oceania is the word often used by continental geographers to describe the great world of islands we are now entering upon" and that "Australia forms its central and most important feature." 19th century definitions encompassed

1008-619: Is used to refer to the islands of the Pacific Ocean that were previously colonized by the British, French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch, or Japanese, or by the United States. Examples include Borneo , the Pitcairn Islands and Taiwan (also known as Formosa). A commonly applied biogeographic definition includes islands with oceanic geology that lie within Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and

1080-741: The Carolinians ( Caroline Islands ), Chamorros ( Guam and Northern Mariana Islands ), Chuukese ( Chuuk ), I-Kiribati ( Kiribati ), Kosraeans ( Kosrae ), Marshallese ( Marshall Islands ), Palauans ( Palau ), Pohnpeians ( Pohnpei ), and Yapese ( Yap ). Polynesians include the New Zealand Māori (New Zealand), Native Hawaiians (Hawaii), Rapa Nui ( Easter Island ), Samoans ( Samoa and American Samoa ), Tahitians (Tahiti), Tokelauans ( Tokelau ), Niueans ( Niue ), Cook Islands Māori ( Cook Islands ), Tongans ( Tonga ), Wallisians, and Futunans ( Wallis and Futuna ). The term Pasifika

1152-1017: The Coral Sea Islands , the Desventuradas Islands , Guadalupe Island , the Juan Fernández Islands, the Revillagigedo Islands, Salas y Gómez Island and the Torres Strait Islands . He notes that the terms are sometimes taken to include Australia, New Zealand and the non-oceanic Papua New Guinea, however he does not consider them to encompass the Japanese archipelago , the Ryukyu Islands , Taiwan , Russia's Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island or countries associated with Maritime Southeast Asia . The Philippines according to him are at

1224-790: The Louisiade Archipelago , the Admiralty Islands , Bougainville Island , Papua New Guinea , Western New Guinea (part of Indonesia ), Maluku Island , Aru Islands , Kei Islands , the Santa Cruz Islands (part of the Solomon Islands), Loyalty Islands (part of New Caledonia) and various smaller islands. East Timor , while considered to be geographically Southeast Asian , is still generally accepted as being ethnoculturally part of Melanesia. The Torres Strait Islands are politically part of nearby Queensland , Australia, although

1296-622: The Māori , are Polynesians, and thus considered Pacific Islanders. Australia's Indigenous population are loosely related to Melanesians and the United States Census categorize them under the Pacific Islander American umbrella. In Island Realm: A Pacific Panorama (1974), Ian Todd states that, "New Zealand is uniquely gifted in its role as a Polynesian associate. A large section of its own indigenous population consists of Māori —

1368-501: The New Zealand Māori , who are also Polynesian but are indigenous to New Zealand. In the 2013 New Zealand census , 7.4% of the New Zealand population identified with one or more Pacific ethnic groups, although 62.3% of these were born in New Zealand. Those with a Samoan background make up the largest proportion, followed by Cook Islands Māori , Tongan , and Niuean . Some smaller island populations such as Niue and Tokelau have

1440-469: The Pacific Ocean . They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia , Micronesia , and Polynesia . Depending on the context, the term Pacific Islands may refer to one of several different concepts: (1) those countries and islands with common Austronesian origins, (2) the islands once (or currently) colonized , (3) the geographical region of Oceania , or (4) any island located in

1512-679: The United States Minor Outlying Islands , Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna . The 1982 edition of the South Pacific Handbook , by David Stanley, groups Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island and the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia under the more restrictive label of the "South Pacific Islands", even though Hawaii and most islands in Micronesia technically lie in the North Pacific. He additionally includes

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1584-621: The "Polynesian capital of the world." This came as result of a steady stream of immigration from Polynesian countries such as Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, and French Polynesia in the 20th and 21st centuries. The umbrella terms Pacific Islands and Pacific Islanders may also take on several other meanings. At times, the term Pacific Islands only refers to islands within the cultural regions of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia, and to tropical islands with oceanic geology in general, such as Clipperton Island . In some common uses,

1656-454: The 16th century up until the end of World War II . Several of the island groups have since developed financially crucial political alignments with the United States. Nauru's main political partner since World War I has been Australia, excluding a brief period of Japanese occupation in World War II. The Polynesian islands are scattered across a triangle covering the east-central region of

1728-558: The 1980s, the United States Census Bureau grouped persons of Asian ancestry and created the category " Asian-Pacific Islander ," which continued in the 1990s census. In 2000, " Asian " and " Pacific Islander " became two separate racial categories. According to the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program (PEP), a " Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander " is, A person having origins in any of

1800-526: The Center changed its name, broadening its aim to include all Asian cultures." Since opening its own facility in 1996 Oakland’s Chinatown district, the OACC has offered cultural programs including performances, workshops, festivals, school tours, classes, and exhibitions. The OACC has educational programming and cultural activities for residents of Oakland Chinatown. Community groups and artists hold weekly classes in dance, martial arts, art, history, and language at

1872-781: The Chinatown area. Below is the project's mission statement. "The Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project (OCOHP), spearheaded by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), aims to capture the living history of Oakland Chinatown by bringing youth to interview Oakland Chinatown elders. The goals of the OCOHP are to document the stories of Oakland Chinatown, preserve its cultural and historical legacy, and increase understanding across generations." The OACC also has an Artist in Residence Program, which supports emerging and established Bay Area artists in creating new works that premiere in

1944-597: The Eyes of Vietnamese Americans, Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project, Calligraphies in Conversation, Asians 4 Black Lives, Epekto Arts, and Drums of Asia. One of its most recognized exhibitions is the Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project, which was started by Oakland Chinatown's Community Advisory Committee in 2005. The committee sought to engage the community by seeking oral history and narratives from

2016-520: The Galápagos Islands in his definition of the South Pacific, but does not include any other islands located within the southeastern Pacific area, aside from Easter Island which is considered part of Polynesia. Ian Todd's 1974 book Island Realm: A Pacific Panorama considers Oceania and the term "Pacific Islands" to also encompass the non-tropical Aleutian Islands , as well as Clipperton Island,

2088-527: The Lunar New Year Celebration, Asian Heritage Street Celebration, and OACC Gala. It also hosted a Larry Itliong Day in honor of the titular labor union leader, as well as an anniversary public screening of the first Asian American film, The Curse of Quon Gwon . OACC has free exhibitions. Its exhibitions stem from traditional and contemporary culture from all over the world. The cultural center’s past exhibitions include Reflections: Vietnam Through

2160-541: The Malay Archipelago have their own regional governing organization called ASEAN , which includes mainland Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Thailand . In July 2019, at the inaugural Indonesian Exposition held in Auckland , Indonesia launched its 'Pacific Elevation' program, which would encompass a new era of elevated engagement with the region, with the country also using the event to lay claim that Indonesia

2232-599: The Malay Archipelago) are rarely included in present definitions of Oceania, nor are non-tropical islands to the north of Hawaii. The 2004 book The Making of Anthropology: The Semiotics of Self and Other in the Western Tradition , by Jacob Pandian and Susan Parman, states that "some exclude from Oceania the nontropical islands such as Ryukyu, the Aleutian islands and Japan, and the islands such as Formosa, Indonesia and

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2304-767: The Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and the United States Minor Outlying Islands. Since the 1950s, many (particularly in English-speaking countries) have viewed Australia as a continent-sized landmass , although they are still sometimes viewed as

2376-465: The Marshall Islands, stated in 2014, "Not only [is Australia] our big brother down south, Australia is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum and Australia is a Pacific island, a big island, but a Pacific island." Japan and certain nations of the Malay Archipelago (including East Timor, Indonesia and the Philippines) have representation in the Pacific Islands Forum, but none are full members. The nations of

2448-491: The Pacific Islands Forum, as they are primarily inhabited by Polynesian peoples. Japan and Malay Archipelago countries such as East Timor, Indonesia and the Philippines are dialogue partners of the Pacific Islands Forum, with East Timor having observer status, but none are full members. The nations of the Malay Archipelago have their own regional governing organization called ASEAN , which includes mainland Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Thailand . In July 2019, at

2520-500: The Pacific Ocean. This list of islands in the Pacific Ocean is organized by archipelago or political boundary . In order to keep this list of moderate size, the more complete lists for countries with large numbers of small or uninhabited islands have been hyperlinked. The umbrella term Pacific Islands has taken on several meanings. Sometimes it is used to refer only to the islands defined as lying within Oceania . At other times, it

2592-811: The Pacific Ocean. The triangle is bound by the Hawaiian Islands in the north, New Zealand in the west, and Easter Island in the east. The rest of Polynesia includes the Samoan islands ( American Samoa and Samoa [formerly Western Samoa]); Cook Islands ; French Polynesia (the Society Islands [ Tahiti ], Marquesas Islands , Austral Islands , and Tuamotu ); Niue Island ; Tokelau and Tuvalu ; Tonga ; Wallis and Futuna ; Rotuma Island ; Pitcairn Island ; Nukuoro ; and Kapingamarangi . The majority of island groups are most closely aligned to New Zealand /Australia, with others being politically aligned to France or

2664-557: The Pacific: Strategy and Command , American author Louis Morton places the insular landmasses of the Pacific under the label of the "Pacific World". He considers it to encompass areas that were involved in the Pacific Theater of World War II . These areas include the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, as well as Australia, the Aleutian Islands, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan. Since

2736-494: The Philippines that are closely linked with mainland Asia. Others include Indonesia and the Philippines with the heartland of Oceania." Certain anthropological definitions restrict Oceania even further to only include islands which are culturally within Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Conversely, Encyclopedia Britannica believe that the term Pacific Islands is much more synonymous with Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, and that Oceania, in its broadest sense, embraces all

2808-522: The Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Torres Strait Islands , Wallis and Futuna, Western New Guinea and the United States Minor Outlying Islands (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island , Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island). Crocombe noted that Easter Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, the Galápagos Islands, the Kermadec Islands, the Pitcairn Islands and

2880-592: The South Pacific, being unknown outside of a handful of places. Spanish is spoken by a resident population only on the Ecuadorian Galápagos Islands, the Chilean possessions of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Juan Fernández Islands and a few other tiny islands. Most Pacific insular possessions of Latin American nations are either unpopulated or used as military outposts, staffed by natives of the mainland." Lord Howe Island , located between Australia and New Zealand,

2952-738: The Torres Strait Islands currently have no geopolitical connections to Asia , but that they could be of future strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific . Another definition given in the book for the term Pacific Islands is islands served by the Pacific Community , formerly known as the South Pacific Commission. It is a developmental organization whose members include Australia and the aforementioned islands which are not politically part of other countries. In his 1962 book War in

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3024-768: The Torres Strait Islands, the Willis Group and Coringa Islands ." The Pacific islands consist of three main traditional regions. Melanesia is the great arc of islands located north and east of Australia and south of the Equator. The name derives the Greek words melas ('black') and nēsos ('island') for the predominantly dark-skinned peoples of New Guinea island, the Bismarck Archipelago , Solomon Islands , Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides ), New Caledonia , and Fiji . In addition those places listed above, Melanesia includes

3096-469: The United Kingdom, with the United States having had little impact on the region. Micronesia includes Kiribati , Nauru , the Marianas ( Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ), the Republic of the Marshall Islands , Palau , and the Federated States of Micronesia ( Yap , Chuuk , Pohnpei , and Kosrae , all in the Caroline Islands ). The islands were under the influence of colonial powers such as Germany, Spain and Japan from

3168-433: The United States. Hawaii is geographically isolated from Polynesia, and is situated in the North Pacific, unlike the rest of Polynesia, which is in the South Pacific. They are still a part of the subregion for ethnocultural reasons. Easter Island is located in a remote part of the Pacific which is thousands of kilometers removed from both Polynesia and the South American continent. It was annexed by Chile in 1888, and Spanish

3240-458: The areas of the Pacific which do not fall within Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The World Factbook and the United Nations categorize Oceania/the Pacific area as one of the seven major continental divisions of the world, and the two organizations consider it to politically encompass American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island , Cocos (Keeling) Islands , the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati,

3312-414: The beginning of the 19th century, Australia and the islands of the Pacific have been grouped by geographers into a region called Oceania. It is often used as a quasi-continent, with the Pacific Ocean being the defining characteristic. In some countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, China, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Switzerland or Venezuela, Oceania

3384-415: The center. The artist in residence from 2012-2015 was Seibi Lee, a Kathak dancer . Past artists-in-residence include Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Philip Huang, Nitya Venkateswaran, Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL), Karmacy, Word & Violin, the Shaolin Buddhist Temple & Education Foundation, Vidya, Kyoungil Ong, Rina Mehta, Jay Loyola, and Judith Kajiwara. In August 2014,

3456-485: The center. The activities offered at the center range from traditions that span across the world, including Japanese flower arrangement , Theravada Buddhist meditation , Chinese Gong Fu and Mongolian traditional dance. The space has an auditorium with a stage, conference rooms, dance studio, lobby, and kitchen that serve as ongoing and one-time resources for local nonprofit organizations, schools, government agencies, Fortune 500 companies , and individuals. The auditorium

3528-400: The central Pacific such as Baker Island were also generally isolated from humans prior to European discovery. However, Pacific Islanders are believed to have possibly visited some of these locations, including Wake Island . In the case of Howland Island , there may have even been a brief attempt at settlement. The Official Journal of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) considers

3600-425: The coasts. Melanesians constitute over three quarters of the total indigenous population of the Pacific Islands; Polynesians account for more than one-sixth; and Micronesians make up about one-twentieth. Several hundred distinct languages are spoken in the Pacific Islands. In ethnolinguistic terms, the Pacific islanders of Oceania are divided into two different ethnic classifications : In Australia ,

3672-404: The cultural center launched a zine entitled “I Am Here," featuring the works of various local community artists and writers. Its second zine, entitled, “I Am a Warrior,” came out in August 2015. Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders , Pasifika , Pasefika , Pacificans , or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands . As an ethnic / racial term, it is used to describe

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3744-409: The eastern Pacific (also known as the southeastern Pacific). These are usually considered to be the "Tropical Pacific Islands". In the 1990s, ecologists Dieter Mueller-Dombois and Frederic Raymond Fosberg broke the Tropical Pacific Islands up into the following subdivisions: The 2007 book Asia in the Pacific Islands: Replacing the West , by New Zealand Pacific scholar Ron Crocombe , considers

3816-437: The easternmost oceanic island with any human inhabitation was Easter Island , settled by the Polynesian Rapa Nui people. Oceanic islands beyond that which neighbor Central America and South America ( Galápagos , Revillagigedo , Juan Fernández Islands etc.) are among the last inhabitable places on earth to have been discovered by humans. All of these islands (excluding Clipperton ) were annexed by Latin American nations

3888-543: The inaugural Indonesian Exposition held in Auckland , Indonesia launched its 'Pacific Elevation' program, which would encompass a new era of elevated engagement with the region, with the country also using the event to lay claim that Indonesia is culturally and ethnically linked to the Pacific islands. The event was attended by dignitaries from Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific island countries. Australia and New Zealand have been described as both continental landmasses and as Pacific Islands. New Zealand's native population,

3960-439: The inhabitants are considered to be Melanesians rather than Indigenous Australians . This is not the case with other Australian islands that were inhabited by Indigenous peoples prior to European discovery, such as Fraser Island , Great Palm Island and the Tiwi Islands . The Torres Strait Islands could be seen as a Melanesian territory in Australasia , similar to how East Timor is a Melanesian territory in Asia. Norfolk Island

4032-789: The inhabitants though distantly connected by similarities in language and practices similar to Melanesians, Micronesians and Polynesians are to be considered Southeast Asian, such as the Philippines. The Pacific Islands Forum is the major governing organization for the Pacific Islands, and has been labelled as the " EU of the Pacific region". Up until 2021, its member nations and associate members were American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. Additionally, there have been pushes for Easter Island and Hawaii to join

4104-427: The insular areas between the Americas and Asia." In its broadest possible usage, it could include Australia, the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian islands, the Japanese and Malay Archipelagos, Taiwan, the Ryukyu and Kuril Islands , the Aleutian Islands and isolated islands off Latin America such as the Juan Fernández Islands. Islands with geological and historical ties to the Asian mainland (such as those in

4176-537: The islands of New Zealand situated in the Pacific Ocean beyond the Commonwealth [of Australia] as constituted at the commencement of this Act. Despite this, Pacific Islanders were generally held in a much higher regard than Indigenous Australians were during the early 20th century. In 2008, a "Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme" was announced as a three-year pilot experiment . It provides visas for workers from Kiribati , Tonga , Vanuatu , and Papua New Guinea to work in Australia. Aside from Papua New Guinea,

4248-404: The largest in this group. There are at least 39 different Pacific Island languages spoken as a second language in the American home. [REDACTED] Africa [REDACTED] Eurasia [REDACTED] North America [REDACTED] Oceania [REDACTED] South America List of islands in the Pacific Ocean The Pacific islands are a group of islands in

4320-422: The majority of their nationals living in New Zealand. To celebrate the diverse Pacific island cultures, the Auckland Region hosts several Pacific island festivals. Two of the major ones are Polyfest, which showcases performances of the secondary school cultural groups in the region, and Pasifika , a festival that celebrates Pacific island heritage through traditional food, music, dance, and entertainment. By

4392-512: The original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Eight out of 10 Pacific Islanders in the United States are native to the United States. Polynesians make up the largest group, including Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Tahitians , and Tongans . Micronesians make up the second largest, including primarily Chamoru from Guam; as well as other Chamoru, Carolinian from the Northern Mariana Islands , Marshallese , Palauans , and various others. Among Melanesians, Fijian Americans are

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4464-408: The original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific islands. It includes people who indicate their race as ' Native Hawaiian ', ' Guamanian or Chamorro', ' Samoan ', and 'Other Pacific Islander' or provide other detailed Pacific Islander responses. According to the Office of Management and Budget , " Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander " refers to a person having origins in any of

4536-489: The original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas —of any of the three major subregions of Oceania ( Melanesia , Micronesia , and Polynesia ) or any other island located in the Pacific Ocean. Melanesians include the Fijians (Fiji), Kanaks ( New Caledonia ), Ni-Vanuatu ( Vanuatu ), Papua New Guineans ( Papua New Guinea ), Solomon Islanders ( Solomon Islands ), West Papuans (Indonesia's West Papua ) and Moluccans (Indonesia's Maluku Islands ). Micronesians include

4608-464: The phrase Pacific Islands to politically encompass American Samoa , Australia, the Bonin Islands , the Cook Islands, Easter Island, East Timor , Federated States of Micronesia , Fiji , French Polynesia , the Galápagos Islands, Guam , Hawaii, the Kermadec Islands , Kiribati, Lord Howe Island, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Niue, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea , Pitcairn Islands, Samoa,

4680-440: The region as beginning in the Malay Archipelago , and as ending near the Americas. In the 19th century, many geographers divided up Oceania into mostly racially-based subdivisions; Australasia , Malaysia (encompassing the Malay Archipelago), Melanesia , Micronesia and Polynesia . The 1995 book The Pacific Island States , by Australian author Stephen Henningham, claims that Oceania in its broadest sense "incorporates all

4752-409: The scheme includes one country each from Melanesia (Vanuatu), Polynesia (Tonga), and Micronesia (Kiribati)—countries that already send workers to New Zealand under its seasonal labour scheme. Local usage in New Zealand uses Pacific Islander (also called Pasifika , or formerly Pacific Polynesians , ) to distinguish those who have emigrated from one of these areas in modern times from

4824-576: The term South Sea Islander was used to describe Australian descendants of people from the over-80 islands in the western Pacific who had been brought to Australia to work on the sugar fields of Queensland —these people were called Kanakas in the 19th century. The Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 was enacted to restrict entry of Pacific Islanders to Australia and to authorise their deportation. In this legislation, Pacific Islanders were defined as: "Pacific Island Labourer" includes all natives not of European extraction of any island except

4896-412: The term Pacific Islands to encompass American Samoa , Cook Islands , Easter Island, the Galápagos Islands, Federated States of Micronesia , Fiji , French Polynesia , Guam , Hawaii, Kiribati , Marshall Islands , Nauru , New Caledonia , Niue , Northern Mariana Islands , Palau , Papua New Guinea , Pitcairn Islands , Salas y Gómez Island , Samoa , Solomon Islands , Tokelau , Tonga , Tuvalu ,

4968-403: The term has been extended even further to include the large South Pacific landmass of Australia . In the North Pacific, non-tropical islands in and around Alaska , Japan , and Russia were inhabited by people related to Indigenous American and Far East Asian groups, with some Japanese ethnic groups also being theorized to be related to Indigenous Pacific groups. In the South Pacific,

5040-452: The term refers to the islands of the Pacific Ocean once colonized by the Portuguese , Spaniards , Dutch , British , French , Germans , Americans , Japanese , and Chinese . In other uses, it may refer to areas with Austronesian linguistic heritage like Taiwan, Indonesia , Micronesia, Polynesia and the Myanmar islands , which found their genesis in the Neolithic cultures of the island of Taiwan . In an often geopolitical context,

5112-409: Was first used in New Zealand to designate the non-indigenous ethnic groups arriving from the aforementioned Pacific nations, excluding New Zealand itself; this term, when used in New Zealand, does not encompass the indigenous Māori people . Auckland in New Zealand has the world's largest concentration of urban Pacific Islanders living outside of their own countries, and is sometimes referred to as

5184-480: Was uninhabited when discovered by Europeans, and later became politically integrated into Australia (and by extension, Australasia). The remote island is still sometimes considered to be in Melanesia, as it is close to the region, and has archeological evidence of prehistoric inhabitation. New Caledonia (and Vanuatu to a lesser extent) were under French colonial influence from the 19th century onward. Most islands however have historically had close ties to Australia and

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