Austronesian People, their origin and skills

Ferdi Nasution
3 min readAug 23, 2023

The Austronesian People are a diverse and widespread group of people who share a common linguistic heritage. They speak languages that belong to the Austronesian language family, which traces its origin to the Proto-Austronesian language spoken in Taiwan thousands of years ago. From there, the Austronesian languages spread through migration and contact to various regions, such as the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian Archipelago, Micronesia, Hawaii, Easter Island, and Madagascar.

Austronesian Expansion — Reddit

The Austronesian People, in the past, were skilled navigators and sailors who used their distinctive boats to explore and settle new lands. One of the most remarkable features of their boats is the outrigger, a lateral support that extends from the main hull and provides stability and balance. Outriggers can be single or double, depending on the size and function of the boat. Some outriggers are also equipped with sails to harness the wind power.

Outrigger by Josh Withers from Unsplash

Another common feature of Austronesian boats is the lashed-lug construction, which involves carving wooden planks into curved shapes and fastening them together with ropes or fibers. This method allows the boat to flex and adapt to the waves, rather than breaking or cracking. It also makes the boat easier to repair and maintain.

Austronesian People also shares cultural characteristics, including traditions and technologies, such as tattooing, stilt houses, jade carving, wetland agriculture, and various rock art motifs. They also share domesticated plants and animals that were carried along with the migrations, including rice, bananas, coconuts, breadfruit, Dioscorea yams, taro, paper mulberry, chickens, pigs, and dogs.

Maori Carving in Lake Taupo, Walkato, New Zealand | Unsplash
Traditional Batak Stilt House — Wikipedia
A Filipino Stilt House — Lamudi

The Austronesian People still share similarities in their words, you can check them out!

Numerals in Austronesian Languages by Narra Studio

The Austronesian People are a remarkable example of how language and culture can spread and diversify across vast distances and time periods. They have contributed to the history and diversity of many regions and peoples in the world.

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Ferdi Nasution

19 | 3rd year undergrad student | Interested in machine learning, history, philosophy