Page 301 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The Papuans giving a very rich description of Melanesian race. Photo: BPNB Jayapura

is a mixture of Negroid and Oceanic races with their typical anthropological traits and
language divisions.
The anthropological characteristics of the Melanesian population are black, curly hair
and short stature. McCallum’s (2004) writing about the Papuans gives a very rich picture
of the Melanesians. The term Melanesia first appeared in the 19 century, even though the
th
existence of such races as characterized by their name had existed for thousands of years.
The term Melanesia evolved in the writings of the reports of the missionaries who came to
visit the region.
McCallum noted that the definite year of the birth of Melanesia name is 1834, and
is set as the date of the genesis of the name. It is actually based on the source from
Polish encyclopedia. The Encyclopaedia Britannica mentions 1832, and there are still
some references that have 1830. One thing is certain that from around 1826 to 1829,
Jules-Sebastien-Cesar Dumont d’Urville led an expedition which triggered the revision
of the chart of South Pacific Ocean and gave a precise description of the island groups
of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Malaysia. The trip did not elaborate on the

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