The ‘mythical’ vanished island scientists think is real | ABC News

The mythical story about the lost island of Teonimenu has been told for generations in central Solomon Islands. Scientists now believe this oral history is actually a credible record of a sudden, catastrophic event which caused the island to disappear several hundred years ago. They believe they’ve pinpointed the exact location of Teonimenu and what likely caused it to sink into the ocean forever.
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[@darryl1617]

Fascinating. Highlights the importance of oral tradition and culture.

[@CaravelClerihew]

A really well made piece on an interesting subject! I'd like to see more stuff like this.

[@fossilmatic]

It’s a balance between “science corroborating oral history”, and “oral history informing scientific inquiry”. Ownership of the “truth” is often the basis of moral power and determinism. It cuts both ways and needs to be subject to constant challenge to avoid dogma.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

Some of the aboriginal oral history has been proven to based in fact. One story (I think in Queensland) has been shown to be telling the story of a specfic sea flood some thousands of years ago. What fascinates me is how little the stories seem to change over so many generation's that actual history can be found and proven.

[@davespanksalot8413]

It’s amazing how oral traditions can keep knowledge going in one form or another for possibly up to tens of thousands of years! It’s sad to lose so much of that oral history. There’s a fascinating story on the ABC website with the title: “Research findings back up Aboriginal legend on origin of Central Australian palm trees” The scientific world is stunned by research which backs an Aboriginal legend about how palm trees got to Central Australia. Several years ago Tasmanian ecologist David Bowman did DNA tests on palm seeds from the outback and near Darwin. A striking example of how traditional ecological knowledge can inform and enhance scientific research. The results led him to conclude the seeds were carried to the Central Desert by humans up to 30,000 years ago. Professor Bowman read an Aboriginal legend recorded in 1894 by pioneering German anthropologist and missionary Carl Strehlow, which was only recently translated, describing the "gods from the north" bringing the seeds to Palm Valley.

[@gozznut]

I used to work in bathymetric survey. Seeing the reporter draw on the bathy chart with red Sharpy made me flinch 😫

[@danidejaneiro8378]

I adore the ABC - what an amazing piece. Thanks.

[@paulinebell4873]

using science to corroborate oral history is a thought provoking cocept

[@meks6857]

My partner is a geneticist and has worked with the people of Pukapuka. She found some very interesting results and relayed the findings back to them. An elder told her the story of how their people first came to the island and it lined up with the results of the research. Being Pacific Islanders ourselves, and raised with oral traditions, we found it so cool confirming an old Polynesian story with science.

[@rlt9492]

It’s a great combination

[@pawfeirefin4048]

I agree that we should consider the stories of our forebears! I reckon the disappearance of Atlantis (an even older memory of our ancestors) had more to do with the isostatic (post-glacial) rebounding of the land under the Laurentide Ice Sheet. As the ice melted, the rebounding could have caused isostatic depression or some sort of of corresponding drawing-down force on the Mid-Atlantic. Simply put, with the great weight removed, the north of North America went up and the Azores area went down. Atlantis disappeared not so much from sea level rise but from land level fall. Maybe this happened slowly, but - if the stories are to be believed - it could have happened suddenly if the North American rebound was also sudden, as it would be from a hypothesised comet impact on the glacier. It was strange commenting on an ABC video. How gracious of you to enable comments!

[@tainedonovan4983]

A similar natural event highly likely happened to Hawaiki. Can't be found on a map yet my ancestors voyaged to Aotearoa from there.

[@Dreamer10888]

Finally get to comment on a abc news video

[@ragukamp3903]

Great work

[@rlt9492]

Aboriginal Australians have oral legend about land that is now the Coral Sea, with detailed information about its features which are now reefs, that means that this information has been carried for at least 12,000 years, so a few hundred years is easy.

[@timsimmons5190]

So is this where the missing Malaysian flight landed ?

[@SlytherinReviews]

They might want to send a Sonar Device down to where the island is as I think there is more going on than what is told, like a giant lava tube and such

[@Biggoy]

Can you do one on the ancient aryan story of Atlantis please?

[@scpops]

Great to see Professor Paddy Nunn still doing what he loves!

[@stretchedandy]

Many people don't dismiss biblical stories why should we dismiss oral Histories of Pacific nations?

[@Itssmial_Ova]

"I think there's a tendency for western science and historians to dismiss these things as kind of fantasy as myth or legend" Completely incorrect in Modernity. Maybe historically people would dismiss local legend and myth, But nowdays the FIRST thing historians do in those parts of the world is seek out the stories and oral histories for analysis. Almost all Historians agree that Myth and Legend can often be rooted in reality, There's a whole science called Comparative mythology that's been employed for decades as a tool for analysis and academic purposes. The great tragedy about the Solomons is much of the Oral History was lost during the period where the Europeans pillaged the islands for Slaves. It's essential that those remaining stories are sought out before they disappear.

[@damink_8508]

Some Maori settlers (NZ) came directly from islands that sank or were sinking.

[@bugmouthready529]

Are you referring to the mythical land of Hawaiki?

[@damink_8508]

@@bugmouthready529 Hawaiki is not a mythical place but the lands Polynesians lived in before settling the Pacific. However to answer your question, maybe. I know some lands sank, but I think Hawaiki still stands. The Hawaiki my ancestors migrated from was destroyed by war. My ancestors being some of the last to leave before our lands were eventually lost . I think nowadays all lands Maori moved from are considered Hawaiki but this is not the case traditionally. There are also 3 Hawaiki so that adds complication (Hawaiki's roa, nui, pamamao) But know of people moving to these lands because theirs were suffering war, famine, disease, poverty, seeking shelter, seeking family and also the sinking of their lands. It doesn't help we named most lands we moved to after those we left. Hawaiki, Hawaii, Savaii, Havai etc

[@SUCCESSPASS]

Does that mean the Solomon Islands are unstable?

[@rlt9492]

Probably some of the smaller islands yeah.

[@marianmartinez1494]

also rising sea levels.

[@pageup213]

But no, let's make a story blaming a woman for infidelity - women, so powerful they can control the sea levels of Earth!

[@channelKJM]

Western science finally catching up 🙄 still told with an under current of condescension, with the added total and complete disrespect of absolutely zero attempt to pronounce place names in our languages correctly.

[@darkbearmoon]

Unfortunately it's often quite difficult for some languages to pronounce words from another

[@channelKJM]

@@darkbearmoon not true in this case. Each sound can be re-created from sounds used in the english language. And it is very apparent when people make absolutely no attempt like this guy.

[@Sgt.chickens]

​@channelKJM Nobody cares. Pronunciation isnt important.

[@davidbrown4271]

Sick of Karen’s

[@RichardMaginnis]

The Whole World reports such an Island that vanishes & not surprising & God Bless Australia & New Zealand & Everyone who Loves Jesus Christ Who Wants to Save ❤