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Are there indigenous Black populations outside Africa like in Melanesia?
Executive summary
Yes — there are indigenous, dark‑skinned populations outside Africa, most prominently the Melanesian peoples of the southwest Pacific, whose name literally meant “black islands” in 19th‑century European classification (Melanesia’s population ≈10–13 million) [1] [2]. Anthropologists and geneticists treat Melanesians as indigenous to the region with deep, ancient roots distinct from sub‑Saharan Africans; older racial categories like “Australo‑Melanesian” are now considered outdated [3] [4].
1. Melanesia: the Pacific’s indigenous dark‑skinned peoples
The islands grouped as Melanesia — including New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia — are inhabited by indigenous peoples commonly called Melanesians; European explorers named the region from Greek words meaning “black islands” because of the dark skin of many residents [1] [3]. Modern population estimates for the subregion run in the tens of millions (Britannica cited ≈10 million; other aggregators list ≈13 million), underscoring that these are sizable, long‑established indigenous societies rather than small isolated enclaves [1] [2].
2. Deep antiquity and distinct ancestry — not “Africans in the Pacific”
Genetic and archaeological work cited in regional summaries shows Melanesians descend from very ancient populations that occupied Sahul (the Australia–New Guinea landmass) tens of thousands of years ago and later mixed variably with Austronesian arrivals; this lineage is separate from the recent histories of sub‑Saharan Africa [1] [3]. Recent genomic studies highlight that Papuans and Indigenous Australians split from other Eurasians 51,000–72,000 years ago and diverged from each other later, meaning Melanesian ancestry is ancient and regionally specific [3].
3. Why older racial labels persist — and why scholars reject them
Nineteenth‑century typologies coined terms such as “Australo‑Melanesian” or “Australoid” to group dark‑skinned peoples across Australia, Melanesia and parts of South/Southeast Asia; today those groupings are considered outdated and scientifically problematic [4] [5]. Wikipedia and other academic overviews emphasize that genetic and linguistic data do not support a simple, unified “Australo‑Melanesian” race, and many formerly linked groups (for example some “Negrito” populations in Southeast Asia) show distinct local affinities instead [4] [5].
4. Unique traits, diversity, and Denisovan ancestry
Melanesians are genetically diverse and carry archaic admixture not common in many other populations — for example, measurable Denisovan ancestry — and some islands show unique traits such as naturally occurring blond hair that evolved locally, not necessarily from European contact [6] [7]. Reporting and scientific summaries stress that these features result from local genetic variants and ancient population history rather than recent African or European gene flow in most cases [6] [7].
5. Language, culture and the idea of “indigenous” outside Africa
Melanesia exemplifies how indigeneity can exist outside Africa: indigenous here refers to peoples with long continuous occupation of their homelands, distinct languages (Melanesia contains hundreds to over a thousand languages), and cultural systems shaped locally over millennia [3] [8]. Notes on global indigeneity emphasize that definitions vary by region and political context, but in Oceania the term is commonly applied to groups like the Māori, Pacific Islanders, and Melanesians [9].
6. Competing perspectives and caution about labels
Scholarly sources and regional advocates caution about simplistic racial labeling. While nineteenth‑century explorers framed the Pacific with color‑based names, contemporary scholars and indigenous voices prefer terms like “Melanesian” and emphasize cultural, linguistic and genetic diversity; some commentators also point out that calling Melanesians “black” can import political and historical baggage that doesn't map neatly onto Pacific identities [10] [11]. The academic consensus rejects reifying outdated racial taxonomies in favor of population‑specific histories [4].
7. What the provided sources don’t say
Available sources in this set do not provide a comprehensive, single‑paper genetic breakdown comparing Melanesians directly to every African population, nor do they settle every nuance of the many local origin hypotheses; for those specifics, targeted genetic and archaeological studies beyond these summaries are needed (not found in current reporting).