DNA study adds another piece to the Pacific colonization puzzle – HeritageDaily

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What do you do if you have limited historical data and a lot of questions waiting to be answered? You turn to genetic research.

This is what the researchers did when trying to piece together the routes of the ancient Polynesians, who left little archaeological evidence but a tiny but powerful indicator: a genetic trail. Scientists have used DNA analysis to recreate their heroic journeys through time and space, spanning more than 500 years and over 5,000 kilometers of the dangerous waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The settlement of Polynesia is one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of human migration and navigation, but little is known about the date of colonization of the islands and the order it followed. .

The expansion has taken place at an astonishing speed, overtaking the evolution of dialects or cultural practices that would generally serve as anthropological markers. But a new article published in Nature by computer biologist Alexander Ioannidis of Stanford University and 26 other researchers claim to have answers.

Scientists have identified and analyzed DNA segments of 430 current inhabitants of 21 Pacific Islands. The comparison of genes between individuals of exclusively Polynesian origin has made it possible to recreate implantation paths across the Pacific Islands and the order in which they unfolded. The dates for each of the establishments were obtained by calculating the number of generations between which mutations occurred as genetic variants were lost. As the researchers say, “our reconstruction of the branched Polynesian migration sequence reveals a foundational serial expansion, characterized by a directional loss of variants.”

The origins of the Polynesians can be traced back to Taiwan from where, around 2500 BC, their journey began, stretching from the Philippines and Indonesia to other islands in the Pacific. Yet it is in the Western Pacific, on the island of Samoa, that their extraordinary journey begins, venturing into the vast desert of the ocean. DNA analysis indicates that Samoa’s expansion took place west to Fiji, Tonga in the south, then east to Rarotonga around AD 830. In 1050 AD, the descendants of Rarotongas traveled to settle in Tahiti, then in the Tuamotus. archipelago, a series of small atolls 1,500 km long, only 50 years later.

A real odyssey that culminates with a Homeric journey of 2,600 kilometers from Mangareva to Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the most remote earthly refuge in the world, which could have happened in 1210 AD. A formidable feat given the size of the island, which is only three times the size of Manhattan, so a target that could easily be missed.

An illustration of monolithic sculptures from the Marquesas Islands (top), Mangareva (center), Raivavae (bottom left) and Rapa Nui (bottom right). Image Credit: Zaira Zamudio López

Unlike the Vikings, who set out to explore the New Earth (probably the first Euro-American contact), the ancient Polynesians who reached the Society Islands on the same dates were fighting against much greater obstacles: the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the tiny size of the islands, and the uncompromising adverse ocean winds and currents (colonization occurred against the flow of the Pacific).

Their navigation prowess is undeniable. They watched the capricious nature – birds, volcanic clouds, and wind – to navigate the double-hulled canoes through thousands of miles of open water. It is believed that family groups of 30 to 200 individuals navigated in an attempt to find new land as the population grew rapidly and resources dwindled.

Early arrivals are believed to have experienced rapid initial growth, fueled by untapped resources abundant reefs, colonies of seabirds and flightless birds (which shortly after passed away). Bold new explorations were undertaken as island populations increased, following the same schemethe endless search for new untapped resources. Was it a race with no return? The study suggests that there was little connection between the newly colonized islands and the mother countries. This could be seen as incompatible with previous linguistic studies which emphasized the importance of the interaction between the islands, as expressed by Patrick Kirch, an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii.

Despite these remaining uncertainties, it is clear that the colonization of Polynesia was an unprecedented expansion which allowed cultural expression to spread. Similar customs, designs and symbols can be seen throughout the Pacific Islands, of which the iconic colossal stone statues of Easter Island, or Moai, are the most striking example.

The Marquesas Islands, Mangareva and Raivavae, are also home to stoic monolithic figures, smaller in size but just as strange and confusing. Standing in silence, they bear witness to the people who erected them and seem to confirm researchers in the belief that behind the powerful figures was a common ancestor. Today, DNA discoveries tell us the full timeline of how and when.

Written by Terry Madenholm

Terry Madenholm is a project partner for Archeology of drones and focuses on identifying threatened archaeological sites (using non-invasive technologies, such as LiDAR, satellite imagery and drones) and building 3D models of threatened heritage.


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