The Arrival of Fiji’s First Settlers and the Spread of Lapita Culture

Around 3,500 years ago, the first settlers of Fiji arrived from the islands of Melanesia, bringing with them essential elements of their culture, including pigs, staple foods, and a distinctive style of pottery known as Lapita Ware. This pottery is more than just a craft; it represents a highly developed culture with advanced skills in navigation, canoe building, and horticulture. 

As these early Fijians settled and thrived, some groups eventually migrated further to Tonga and Samoa, carrying the Lapita culture with them, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the Pacific islands.

This migration and cultural spread highlight a broader pattern of human movement across the globe, where seemingly disconnected communities share a common origin. Similar to how some people today might draw divisions within Africa by tribes or geography, the truth is that many of these groups originally shared the same cultural roots. In Africa, these shared roots are seen in the ancient Nubian culture, which connects various African identities back to a common heritage.

One notable artifact of this shared heritage is the Afro comb, traditionally used for styling woolly hair. The oldest examples of this comb have been discovered in regions like Sudan and ancient Egypt (Kemet), underscoring the deep and shared history of African peoples.