More resistant Oceania

I wonder how further Oceanians could've developed then OTL. How do we keep more of the native polities and institutions in facing European encroachment ? Perhaps Tu'i Tonga could've retained some of its empire, or Tahitian monarchy could've survived, etc. What about the Yap or Nan Madol Empire in Micronesia ? Could have they achieved more sophisticated level of development than what they had already managed IOTL ?
 
Increase in level of sophistication is possible. However, resistance vs the Europeans always required manpower and resources. All of the latter small islands in Oceania lacked, which only New Zealand or Australia can give. So creating a new nation or migrating from Asia to New Zealand or Australia is a requirement.

If you look at otl, small islands have never resisted European domination with the exception of japan. Japan had all of those requirements, manpower, resources, sophistication and continued access to Eurasian bacteria.
 
Well, the aboriginals or Oceania were not a powerful bunch against the Europeans unlike the Native Americans which had a chance but failed anyways. So the only way was for them to have like Namayan said: manpower and resources, which is unlikely to have them build up quick enough to defend themselves. Also, don't forget about diseases too.
PS: Don't bump a thread that you post for only a few minutes.
 
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