This episode establishes the theme of the series - the spread of the human species from Asia into all the lands of the Pacific Ocean, with divergent groups in Australia & the Americas.  Covers how the development of horticulture, and cultivation of essential food plants advanced the crucial transition from nomadic reliance on hunting and gathering to a settled existence in communities in the area covering eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

This video is part 1 in the 11 part series "MAN ON THE RIM" which portrays the history of the Pacific Rim countries and their intriguing life today. MAN ON THE RIM traces the greatest succession of migrations in history and the historical and cultural background of this remarkable migration. It uncovers the footprints of a tremendous cavalcade of technological and biological evolution. Today the global economic center of gravity is shifting to the pacific and the peoples of the Rim are emerging as a major force in world affairs. This extraordinary series offers a glimpse of the shape of the next momentous period in human history: the Pacific Century.