Pacific Islander
:
This article is about Pacific Islanders. For the rugby union team see Pacific Islanders rugby union team
A Pacific Islander or Pacific Person (plural: Pacific People
, also called Oceanic[s]''), is a term used in several places, such as
New Zealand and the
United States, to describe the inhabitants of
Oceania.
In
New Zealand, the term is applied to a person who has emigrated from one of the smaller
islands of the
Pacific to New Zealand in modern times, or one of their descendants born in New Zealand. While the majority of these people originate from
Polynesia, others come from
Micronesia and
Melanesia. The term is used to distinguish these people from the
indigenous New Zealand
Māori (who are also
Polynesian but arrived in New Zealand many centuries earlier), and from other ethnic groups. A major reason for making the ethnic distinction is that the Pacific People collectively suffer from socio-economic disadvantages and require culturally targeted social and health assistance.
In Australia, "Pacific Islander" means a person from islands in the Pacific, as in
New Zealand.
In the
United States, "Pacific Islander" refers to people from the same locations. In U.S. usage it is most commonly seen as "
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders".
It excludes people who trace to non-Pacific Island origins (e.g., descendants of Chinese or European colonists) that may now reside on the islands. It would also exclude New Zealanders, except the Māori who are Polynesian, nor would it include Australians or indigenous Australians (except perhaps
Torres Strait Islanders, who are generally not included under the designation "
Australian Aborigines").
For instance
U.S. Census category was "Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders" (NHPI). NHPI refers to people having origins from any of the indigenous peoples of
Hawaii,
Guam,
Samoa, or other
Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race or races as "
Native Hawaiian", "
Guamanian or
Chamoru", "
Samoan", or "Other Pacific Islander", or wrote in entries such as
Tahitian,
Mariana Islander, or
Chuukese.
Inhabitants of the
Chinese,
Taiwanese,
Japanese,
Philippine, and
Indonesian islands, although technically bordering the
Pacific Ocean, are not considered Pacific Islanders because such islands are not located in any of the three regions of Oceania, and are therefore classified as "
Asians" on the
U.S. Census.
*"
Oceanic"
*
South Sea Islanders, or
Kanakas, the descendants of Pacific Islanders
blackbirded to
Australia in the period 1860 to 1906
*
Closing the gaps*
History of Oceania*
History of the Pacific Islands*
Pacific Islander American*
Dictionary.com definition
*
Encarta definition
