Human history across most of the South Pacific dates back less than 2,000 years. By comparison, animal colonisers first arrived on these shores over 30 million years ago. Yet by the 12th century, people had colonised almost every habitable piece of land. Surrounded by water, the ocean became embedded in their culture - sometimes in surprising ways. In the Banks Islands, women use the sea to make music. And their songs celebrate the creatures that live in it. No matter where people settled in the South Pacific, their survival depended on a deep understanding of the ocean and its wildlife. And there's one ocean event that has featured in the Pacific islanders' calendar since they first arrived here.


人类穿越南太平洋的历史可上溯至少2千年，相比之下第一个到达这些海岸的动物开拓者已超过3千万年了。自12世纪以来，人类几乎开拓了每块能居住的陆地，被海水包围海洋已深深嵌入他们的文明中，虽然有时是用令人惊奇的方式。在班克斯岛，女人用海洋作音乐，她们用歌声来赞美生活在这里的动物。不管人类定居在南太平洋哪里，他们的生存都依赖于对海洋和野外动物的深刻了解。自从他们第一次到达这里，就作为一项海洋事项被记录进了南太平洋的日历中。