The Polynesian connection: Love, war and trade linked Samoa, Tonga and Fiji before the Europeans' arrival

The Polynesian connection: Love, war and trade linked Samoa, Tonga and Fiji before the Europeans' arrival

The three islands of West Polynesia—Samoa, Tonga and Fiji—already had close interactions about 3,000 years ago, long before European explorers arrived in the Pacific.Polynesians formed alliances with their neighbors and kept their cultures alive by staying connected. Although they lacked modern technologies, they found ways to sail across the waves and build connections beyond their islands. Samoa and Tonga shared a stronger mutual connection th…