How Breadfruit, Coconuts, and Ancient Polynesian Navigators Conquered the World's Largest Ocean

Fork U with Dr. Terry Simpson · Oct 29, 2026 · 27m

What Would You Pack to Build a Civilization?

We have talked about empires before, from the ancient ones to the British, but nothing prepares you for the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. This was Polynesia, and we are looking at how people built a civilization and what they packed for it.

Someone, somewhere on one of those islands, decided to take a canoe out and explore. Finding another island, or two, or three. Later, someone said,

“Hey, our island is getting crowded; we need to make a new colony somewhere else."

You may have heard ancient stories about “an island” passed on as stories are…