AHC: Establish a permanent Polynesian presence in the pre-Columbian Americas

[Mort the Reaper]

While there's still some debate about whether the Polynesians beat Columbus to the Americas, what seems pretty clear is that even if they did achieve it, the mark they left wasn't particularly strong or long-lasting (with a handful of exceptions).

Your challenge is to change that. Have the Polynesians not only have some more indelible effects on the pre-Columbian Americas, but also give them a more or less permanent presence there.

Now, before anyone says anything, I'm not necessarily asking for colonies. This permanent presence could take any number of forms.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Earlier Polynesian penetration into the east Pacific. The Rapanui sail to Galapagos and settle the islands establishing a variety of chiefdoms which are in regular contact with Coastal South America. Eventually a major drought strikes, crippling the islands and causing thousands to flee to the mainland. The mainlanders (maybe a segment of the Manteño), also suffering from the drought, are displaced and absorbed thanks to several Polynesian victories which enter into legend.

At this point the Polynesians could wind up one of the many cultures farming along the rivers on the otherwise dry coast of Peru/Ecuador or most optimistically wind up a powerful empire like the Chimu. I think this culture would be rather divorced from its Polynesian roots thanks to having absorbed the coastal Peruvian culture, and its language, although still Polynesian, would be very distinct from other Polynesian languages since it would have a large South American substrate. They'd be hard to recognize to their relatives who stayed on Galapagos, let alone their more distant relatives on Rapanui or elsewhere.

 

[Richard V]

No Long Pause. Polynesian colony in MesoAmerica by 1AD. They are absorbed into the native population but pass on pigs, chicken, maritime package. MesoAmericans take up sailing and a sea trade route is established between North and South America, Pacific coast and the Caribbean.

As a result Mayan culture spreads to the Caribbean, Mayan script is transferred to the Moche, bronze spreads from Moche to Mexico, and agriculture introduced in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pigs, chicken, turkey, muscovy duck on both continents, and perhaps llamas and potato in North America. Cotton and peanuts spread out of Mexico.

 

[jocay]

The Polynesians from either Easter Island or the Marquesas could've easily discovered and settled the uninhabited Galapagos. It's doubtful that the Polynesians would be capable of completely displacing the Manteño-Huancavilca peoples of coastal Ecuador. While nowhere near as impressive as the Andeans to the south or the Meso-Americans to the north, they had moderately sized settlements with populations ranging in the five digit range and were loosely organized into an Hanseatic League-esque structure.

I expect that the Polynesian statelets to enter a complicated relationship towards the mainlanders; the Polynesian food package would be attractive enough for the Manteño-Huancavilca chiefs to offer membership to their proto-Eurozone. The mainland has timber and other minerals. The Polynesians use pre-existing Manteño trade routes to come into contact with peoples from as far north as Mexico. Short of the pigs and the other animals the Polynesians carrying diseases comparable to the ones that decimated those cultures IOTL, the best the Polynesians could accomplish is usurping the trade network and imposing themselves as the political leaders of this Manteño-Huancavilca league.

 

[Richard V]

The Polynesians from either Easter Island or the Marquesas could've easily discovered and settled the uninhabited Galapagos. It's doubtful that the Polynesians would be capable of completely displacing the Manteño-Huancavilca peoples of coastal Ecuador. While nowhere near as impressive as the Andeans to the south or the Meso-Americans to the north, they had moderately sized settlements with populations ranging in the five digit range and were loosely organized into an Hanseatic League-esque structure.

I expect that the Polynesian statelets to enter a complicated relationship towards the mainlanders; the Polynesian food package would be attractive enough for the Manteño-Huancavilca chiefs to offer membership to their proto-Eurozone. The mainland has timber and other minerals. The Polynesians use pre-existing Manteño trade routes to come into contact with peoples from as far north as Mexico. Short of the pigs and the other animals the Polynesians carrying diseases comparable to the ones that decimated those cultures IOTL, the best the Polynesians could accomplish is usurping the trade network and imposing themselves as the political leaders of this Manteño-Huancavilca league.

Yes but Easter Island was only settled by 1200 AD. Too late to have substantial impact on the Americas. Avoiding the Long Pause would be essential.

 

[Richard V]

New evidence of Polynesian and Amerindian interaction

Some Polynesians Carry DNA of Ancient Native Americans, New Study Finds (Published 2020)

A new genetic study suggests that Polynesians made an epic voyage to South America 800 years ago.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Winestu]

Had the Polynesians been exposed to the various different Euro-Asian diseases?
If so, could exposure to those diseases centuries early have given some sort of immunity to the Native Americans (maybe centuries) before the Europeans arrive?
Something like: Cortes shows up, one of his men has smallpox, and nothing disease-wise happens; because they have the same level of immunity as the Europeans (or close).

 

[Richard V]

Had the Polynesians been exposed to the various different Euro-Asian diseases?
If so, could exposure to those diseases centuries early have given some sort of immunity to the Native Americans (maybe centuries) before the Europeans arrive?
Something like: Cortes shows up, one of his men has smallpox, and nothing disease-wise happens; because they have the same level of immunity as the Europeans (or close).

Acquired disease resistance cannot not be passed on and diseases will not become endemic in small isolated populations. When there are no uninfected hosts left the disease burns out. So unless outsiders arrive on a fairly regular basis this will not happen.

 

[Gloss]

Had the Polynesians been exposed to the various different Euro-Asian diseases?
If so, could exposure to those diseases centuries early have given some sort of immunity to the Native Americans (maybe centuries) before the Europeans arrive?
Something like: Cortes shows up, one of his men has smallpox, and nothing disease-wise happens; because they have the same level of immunity as the Europeans (or close).

I cant properly answer the question, but considering what happened to Maoris and Hawaians the population decline and replacement was ultimately larger than in Mesoamerica or the Andes

 

[RogueTraderEnthusiast]

I'm concerned about the Necro-ing of the thread, but at the very least I do like the idea of no Long Pause, or some sort of early interaction. After all we don't need European-style colonisation. It isn't unfeasible to have the Polynesians settle with the locals given time, effectively forming trading communities. Given their talent for navigation, if something went bad, they can just head off to sea, and head up or down the coast. Heck, they could act as the intermediary for trade up and down the West Coast of the Americas. I'm slightly digging the idea of a major community established in Lima, Acapulco and San Fransisco.

I'm just trying to imagine what a Polynesian Bulk Trader would look like. I'm imaging something like a Junk crossed with a Catamaran and it seems epic. That sort of shipping across the Atlantic would allow the Chinese to be exporting Silk to the East via the Polynesians to Peru, for their Silver.