Dr. Tianlong Jiao, Chief Curator of Bowers Museum, gave a talk on April 13 to the Irvine Book Club titled "Navigation and the Austronesian Expansion into the Pacific."
He explained that evidence points to both sides of the Taiwan Strait as the Austronesian homeland and highlighted their navigation skills, which he said rivaled modern space exploration.
The talk, which covered archaeology, linguistics, genetics, and seafaring, sparked great interest. Dr. Jiao’s clear and engaging answers left a lasting impression on the audience.
The Austronesian language family is one of the most widespread in the world, stretching from Madagascar in East Africa to Easter Island in the Pacific—covering half the globe. Its origins and expansion have long been central topics in linguistics, anthropology, and archaeology.
Dr. Jiao, who has studied this subject for nearly 30 years, shared the latest findings in linguistics, genetics, and archaeology, guiding the audience through the Austronesian peoples' epic migration.
Dr. Jiao mentioned that his Harvard mentor, Professor K.C. Chang proposed in the 1980s that Taiwan and coastal China were the cradle of Austronesian culture.
Linguist Robert Blust also identified the Austronesian homeland in Taiwan and Southeast China, a theory strongly supported by genetic research.
Further studies in 2014 and 2021 reinforced the idea that the southeast coast of China is likely the origin.
Dr. Jiao believes that as early as the late Neolithic period, people in this region had seafaring skills and engaged in cultural and genetic exchange.
Dr. Jiao highlighted Taiwan's 5,000-year-old Dabenkeng culture as the earliest known Austronesian culture.
Artifacts like tools, pottery, and fishing gear show a stable, sea-based society. These cultural traits spread from Taiwan to the Philippines, Indonesia, the Malay Archipelago, and eventually deep into the Pacific.
The talk also covered the Lapita culture, which appeared around 1600 BCE and spread across the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
Archaeologists believe the Lapita people sailed 4,500 km in just 15–20 generations without modern tools.
left to right : Laura Yen, Teresa Sun, Dr. Tianlong Jiao and Ann Shih
Dr. Jiao called it one of humanity's greatest achievements—on par with space travel and predating Columbus.
Anthropologist Ward Goodenough believed Austronesians voyaged long distances in search of richer resources and trade. Kirch argued that primogeniture pushed younger siblings to migrate and find new land for survival.
Scholars propose three theories on Lapita origins: local development in the Bismarck Archipelago, rapid Austronesian migration from Southeast Asia with new pottery and sailing technologies, and cultural fusion with indigenous groups—a view gaining increasing support.
Beyond Pacific studies, archaeology in southeast China—at sites like Kuxi Keqiutou and Damaoshan—shows that early Austronesians had seafaring skills to cross the Taiwan Strait, using stars, currents, and winds for navigation.
Dr. Jiao cited the 2010 Polynesian voyaging project, demonstrating how retracing Austronesian migration routes reveals ancestral wisdom and a connected oceanic culture beyond borders.
Irvine Book Club President Laura Yen thanked Bowers Museum Chair Ann Shih for inviting Dr. Jiao. The talk lasted an hour, followed by nearly another hour for Q&A. Slides and video will be shared. Thanks to all for joining.
Videos Produced by George Yen