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The islands of the South Pacific are divided
into three cultural areas: Melanesia ("black islands"),
Polynesia ("many islands") and Micronesia ("small
islands"). Parts of Indonesia and Australia are also sometimes
included in the Oceanic region. Although Southeast Asians settled
in New Guinea and Australia about 30,000 years ago, some of Oceania's
most isolated islands were populated only 2,000 years ago. Oceanic
art honors regional deities, nature spirits and ancestors. It also
sometimes functions as an indicator of social status. |