Cultural Practices/ Religious Beliefs:

      The art in Oceania of Pacific Islands consisted of many cultural and religious practices. The people and their art were shaped by the Pacific Ocean. Many artworks were created from wood and plant fibers like reeds, and decorated with paint, feathers, and shells; valuable objects were also carved from stone. These people's beliefs were based upon the idea that the universe was controlled by invisible natural forces diminished by rituals and art- their ancestors were highly honored. Despite the fact that they were in seperate time periods in history and in reference to certain social and cultural characteristics, the region of the Pacific Island Nations are as equally located politically and geographically organized as they are culturally. The whole region was historically divided into three different regions known as Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. The region of the Pacific Island Nations is knowingly divided into these three sub-regions due to early European explorers who created these different boundaries. They were not lead to make distinctions based off of geographical reasons, but because of the differences in cultures, anatomical studies, and linguistic interpretations. 
One of the reasons for sub-dividing the regions of the Pacific Ocean into three is because of the different language practices. The principal linguistic practice was that of the Polynesian language verses the other immense diversities of other spoken languages in the other regions. In Melanesia, there are over 1,000 distinct spoken languages- more than half known to originate from Papuan ( Non-Austronesian) languages, although about 400 Austronesian languages were practiced. The similarities in Polynesian, Papuan, Austronesian, or other languages identify some of the chose distinctions.The diversity in these regions are also due to the difference in geologies. It is widely known that the more eastward one travels from Southeast Asia, the islands get smaller and more distant and the plant and animal species begin to diminish. Oceania is covered with vegetation everywhere, becoming home to many Eco systems. The differences in cultural landscapes is extremely diverse from ruggedness, spines of mountains running the lengths of the islands which form very fertile valleys and really high mountain peaks. The quarters of water cover lots of lowland which contribute to the dense Rain forests . One of the greatest known geological diversions is the paralleling subduction zone and deep trenches which separate the volcanic rocks from the submerged continental areas.
      There is indication of presence of large or monumental structure in the landscapes of a numerous Pacific Islands. These features bring out appearances of social change over the past 1,000 years. Despite the monumental structures of coral limestone, basalt or other stone and earthworks is unclear but they are argued to have a specific defensive function or a ceremonial or religious representation and in some cases seems burial-type. Sometimes, these monuments represent none of the above, but refer to the drastic changes in landscape. 
     Despite the diversities in the cultural aspect, these Islands had similarities. Many of these cultures were Polytheistic- belief in many gods. There was little or no distinction between the supernatural and natural. These people discovered a dimension between the spiritual and natural worlds. Ritual ceremonies were not to be seen as just "religious", but were meant to realistically partake events in the natural world. War, agriculture, and pregnancy, for example, were perceived to be influenced and caused by supernatural beings. Most of these traditions also believed that spirits were capable of inhabitting objects like rocks, sticks, tools, or buildings. Many also believed that one could control supernatural forces as a gift that could be given or taken away which explains their involvement in rituals with social interaction. Many Pacific Islanders input great honor and pride into their ancestors, which they believed could positively or negatively influence their life. Numerous Oceanic religious Islanders held functional buildings and spaces as sacred, which included burial grounds and battlefields, they were meant to be sacred spaces that could connect to many objects, relics, or symbols.