Are European travellers’ accounts historically accountable? Do they give an objective description of the place they visit, especially the Pacific Islands.
Various developments happened in the “Age of exploration” that gave impetus to European exploration across the globe, with the stimulus of new technological development.
Exploration became possible with coming of new maneuverable ships and invention of varied equipment (compass, astrolabe, maps etc).
With the emergence of powerful European rulers, there emerged three major motives of exploration, i.e. “Gold, God and Glory”.
“Gold” stands for the desire to make profits and competition enhance with the coming of mercantilism.
“God” meant the desire to spread religion especially after reformation.
“Glory” explicates the extension of influence, mainly after the Renaissance that focus on individual achievement.
Other factors which promoted the European explorations were the desire to satisfy curiosity about the larger world, for trade, business dealings, diplomacy, political administration, military campaigns, exile, flight from persecution, migration, pilgrimage, missionary efforts, and the quest for economic or educational opportunities.
The travellers account are vital as they provide significant information in form of their observation, experiences, memoirs, daries, journals, travelogues, personal letters, official letters and reports of their mission.
European Explorers in the Pacific Islands
In regard to early arrivals, a Spaniard named Nunez de Balboa came to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, although Columbus had acrossed the Atlantic in 1492 to discover America whereas, Vasco da Gama in 1494 made a round up Africa and Cape of Good Hope to the open sea route to Asia.
Around the 1500s, early exploration of the Pacific had commenced by the Spanish and Portuguese, which led to discovery of several Caroline islands in Micronesia, Solomon Islands in Melanesia and Marquesas Islands in Polynesia.
However, until 1600, most of the Pacific Islands were yet to be explored. In the 17th-18th centuries, Dutch, French and British began to explore and chart the unknown places in the Pacific Islands.
Ferdinand Magellan, was an early Portuguese explorer who organised the Spanish expedition to the East Indies from 1519 to 1522, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Another Spanish explorer was Alvaro de Mendana who made two voyages in 1567 and 1595 to visit Marquesas, Solomons and Santa Cruz.
The Dutch explored the north coast of Australia and the voyage of Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1642 and 1644 explored Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and later visited Tonga, Fiji and the Bismarck Archipelago.
During 18th century, French and British explorers dominated Pacific explorations. French expeditions were made by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1766-69), Jean-Francois de la Perouse (1785-88), Etienne Marchand (1790-92) and Antoine-Raymond-Joseph de Bruni d’Entrecasteaux (1791-93), whereas British explorers were Samuel Wallis (1767-68) and Philip Carteret (1767-68).
But the most accomplished English traveller was James Cook, an explorer, navigator, cartographer and navy captain, who made large explorations in his three voyages to the Pacific from 1768-71, 1772-75, and 1776-80.
Another English buccaneer, William Dampier, visited New Hanover, New Britain and New Ireland in command of a Royal Navy ship. He was the first person to circumnavigate the world three times and described Australia’s first natural historian.
William Bligh, English navigator, explorer and commander made two vital voyages in 1789 and 1792 to the Pacific Islands. In the early 19th century, French navigator and explorer, Dumont D’Urville, made division of Oceania into Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and some believed the fourth part as Malaysia as per David V. Burley’s work on the Fijian Polygenesis and the Melanesian/Polynesian divide.
Historicity of European records
Most of the European explorers had commercial rivalry and urgency to occupy unexplored areas in Pacific Islands and sometimes gave a “subjected view”. On many occasions their accounts are sketchy and had elements of plagiarism.
Travellers accounts are of great value to demarcate the islands and political boundaries, mostly living a non-sedentary life to give their personal opinion about each island.
As there are lack of written sources about the early Pacific Islands during the said period of exploration, traveller memoirs and accounts fill this lacuna to give elaborate accounts of polity, society, economy and culture of that era.
These travellers’ account became guide books for the following European companies to establish their trade and later colonise the islands.
Maritime routes, major ports and seasonal details were invaluable information provided by these travellers. Development and demonstration of new precision in navigation were noted and many islands discovered were noted down. Travellers’ accounts equip to make comparative chronologies of the rulers and events happening in varied islands.
Although, some of their accounts need proper verification of facts, which may be rumours and does not always testify to their veracity. These accounts gave valuable information about numerous people living on different islands.
Social and cultural history of diverse islands has also been given space in the explorers’ memoirs. Popular myths and legends of the islands were also described in the traveller’s records, also customs and folklore received some space in the travellers’ records. Art, literature, architecture, flora and founa also were revealed in European accounts.
Gender history of the islands was also discussed in their memoirs. Artifacts of the islands were observed and linguistic comparisons among islands were also made.
Some limitations are attached to their accounts as historian should be conscious while using them as there are sometimes misunderstanding of varied regions where the travellers visited and elaborated. On the other hand, language differences of Europeans with the people they visited created misrepresentation and distortion of facts.
Conclusion
One can conclude that travellers and explorers played a detrimental role wherever they made voyages be in the Pacific Islands, South Asia or other continents.
Their role cannot be underestimated and their accounts became a treasure house for their successors.
My forthcoming book Insights into Mughal India: Exploring the Perceptions of French Travellers and Adventurers In Northern India during the Seventeenth and the Eighteenth Centuries, will add a new dimension in exploring varied facets of French explorers’ observations during their presence in northern India, especially in relation to highlighting their biographies, political, commercial, religious and gender themes.
Dr. Sakul Kundra is an assistant professor in history at FNU’s Lautoka campus. Views expressed are his own and not of this newspaper or his employer.
