Polynesian peoples
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,000,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States
|
816,144 |
 New Zealand
|
598,605+ |
 Australia
|
210,843 |
 Chile
|
5,682 |
| Languages | |
| English, French and Polynesian languages (Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, Māori, Hawaiian and others) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (96.1%) and Polynesian mythology | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Austronesians | |
The Polynesian people consist of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages, and inhabit Polynesia. The native Polynesian people of New Zealand and Hawaii are minorities in their homelands.
Polynesians, including Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian Mā'ohi, Hawaiian Māoli, Marquesans and New Zealand Māori, are a subset of the Austronesian peoples. They share the same origins as the indigenous peoples of maritime Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and Taiwan. This is supported by genetic, linguistic, and archaeological evidence.
The origins of the Polynesian people are addressed in the theories regarding migration into the Pacific that began about 3000 years ago. These are outlined well by Kayser et al. (2000). The most widely accepted theory is that modern Austronesians originated from migrations out of Taiwan between 3000 and 1000 BC; travelling via the Philippines and eastern Indonesia and from the northwest ("Bird's Head") of New Guinea, on to Island Melanesia by roughly 1400 BC, reaching the western Polynesian islands right about 900 BC.. However, Soares et al. (2008) have argued for an older pre-Holocene Sundaland origin within Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) based on .
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