Dean Ellis (New York, 1920 - 2009) "Early Human Inhabitants Arrive, 1500 B.C." Original Tempera painting on Masonite. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original painting which was published on the Republic of the Marshall Islands 55c Early Human Inhabitants Arrive, 1500 B.C. stamp issued May 2, 1996. Man's migration to the Pacific Islands from mainland Asia began at least 33,000 years ago. The migration was an extended process resulting in the settling of nearly every inhabitable island by approximately 1000 A.D. Among the easternmost points of land in the Central Pacific, the Marshall Islands were not populated until after 1500 B.C. The early Marshall Islanders were extraordinary seamen and possessed great navigational abilities. Early European explorers in the region were astonished that natives had found their way to all of the islands scattered over this immense body of water without instruments to plot course and position. Their amazement would have been even greater had they understood the Marshall Islanders' sophisticated navigational techniques that utilized the Sun, Moon, stars, wind, waves, currents, the flight of birds and other natural phenomena. Image Size: 8.5 x 15 in. Overall Size: 10.25 x 16.5 in. Unframed. (B15299)