Did Polynesians First Discover Antarctica?

[EnolaGaia]

A newly published research paper suggests indigenous peoples reached Antarctic waters, and perhaps viewed Antarctica itself, before the European explorations in the early 19th century.

New Research Shows Māori Traveled to Antarctica at Least 1,000 Years Before Europeans

... The first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica was attributed to a Russian expedition in 1820, while the first landing on the mainland is attributed to an American explorer in 1821.

Now, a new paper by New Zealander researchers suggests that the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand - Māori - have a significantly longer history with Earth's southernmost continent.

The research team, led by conservation biologist Priscilla Wehi from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, looked at oral histories as well as 'grey literature' – meaning research, reports, technical documents and other material published by organizations outside common academic or commercial publishing channels.

"We found connection to Antarctica and its waters have been occurring since the earliest traditional voyaging ..." said Wehi.

The researchers first highlight an early 7th century southern voyage by a Polynesian chief Hui Te Rangiora and his crew. This would have likely made them the first humans to see Antarctic waters, over a thousand years before the Russian expedition and even long before Polynesian settlers' planned migration to New Zealand. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/who-we...p-maori-s-long-history-with-the-icy-continent

PUBLISHED PAPER:
Priscilla M. Wehi, Nigel J. Scott, Jacinta Beckwith, Rata Pryor Rodgers, Tasman Gillies, Vincent Van Uitregt & Krushil Watene (2021)
A short scan of Māori journeys to Antarctica
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2021.1917633

 

[Kondoru]

I thought the Polynesians sighting icebergs was long known about in polar exploration literature.

 

[Bigphoot2]

New Zealand’s Māori may have been first to discover Antarctica, study suggests​

Oral histories suggest the Polynesian explorer Hui Te Rangiora travelled to the region in the seventh century


Tess McClure in Christchurch
@tessairini
Fri 11 Jun 2021 06.37 BST

• Māori may have been the first to discover Antarctica, with connections to the icy continent and its surrounding oceans stretching back to the seventh century, researchers say.

A new paper by University of Otago combines literature and oral histories, and concludes that Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, were likely the first people to explore Antarctica’s surrounding waters, and possibly the continent in the distance.

They write that Māori and Polynesian journeys to the deep south have been occurring for a long time, perhaps as far back as the seventh century, and are recorded in a variety of oral traditions.
According to the oral histories of Māori tribal groups Ngāti Rārua and Te Āti Awa, the first human to travel to the Antarctic was the Polynesian explorer Hui Te Rangiora.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...n-first-to-discover-antarctica-study-suggests