How close is Polynesian cultures to South East Asian cultures?.

How close? As close as the Amerindian culture and the Indian culture! So in simple words, it’s absolutely different, even though some areas of Southeast Asia could have few similarities. But being a Polynesian, I can easily drive into any Polynesian culture while I don’t recognise anything close when I’ve been in Southeast Asia.

The Pacific island peoples including those in insular Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia) along with Papua New Guinea, Palau and as far as Madagascar all came from a single root, the Austronesian speaking peoples.

There are several theories about Austronesians. You can check Peter Bellwood’s “out of taiwan hypothesis” or Wilhelm Solheim’s “Nusantao Hypothesis”. But basically what these hypotheses say is that all these people came from a single race, the austronesian speaking people or what Solheim calls Nusantao. Bellwood said that around the 4500 BCE, people from southeast China went down to Taiwan and from there down to the Philippine from where the people dispersed going to the west (Polynesia, Melanesia, other Pacific Islands) to the east (Indonesia & as far as Madagascar) and still some went as far as Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

The evidences of this great migration include similarities in pottery artefacts, and most importantly the language. The languages of peoples from these countries are related. There are similarities in vocabularies, grammar and structure e.g

Therefore, it is safe to say that these people belong to one family; having close affinity to each other’s culture.

I observed some of the cultures of the polynesian people and comparing to my culture we both value family, we respect older people and we sacrifice for our loved ones.

As a Polynesian I really don't see the similarities between us an south east asian cultures. Maybe apart from some food ?? Other than that I wouldn't say both cultures are close.

Because Polynesians came from Southeast Asia.

They are the ones who came from us… not us from them.

They were the one who migrated out of Asia and into the Pacific… so they are the ones who descended from us.

To answer your question.

Yes, Filipinos and Polynesians are related, because both groups descended from groups who migrated from out of Southern China, to Taiwan, then later into the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, and lastly to the Pacific.

Are there differences between Filipinos and Pacific Islanders?

Pacific Islanders have major Papuan genetic admixture, while Filipinos don’t.

Ancient/Pre-colonial Philippine cultures were heavily influenced by India, China, Arabia and other Southeast Asian civilizations… while Pacific Islanders don’t seem to have any such influences in their culture.

Physical appearance

In terms of physical appearance, Filipinos tend to have a smaller body built than Pacific Islanders.

Difference between Filipinos and Pacific Islanders.

Ancient native Pacific Islanders… (Ladrones, natives of the Mariana Islands depicted in the Boxer Codex, and Maori’s from New Zealand).