Native Americans and Polynesians: A Shared History in the Pacific
Genetic Connections Across the Ocean
Genetic analysis reveals that Native Americans and Polynesians interacted around the year 1200. This contact occurred before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas and the settlement of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), which was once considered a possible meeting point.
Polynesians and South Americans: A Maritime Exchange
Researchers analyzed DNA samples from modern individuals across the Pacific and South America. Their findings indicate that voyages between eastern Polynesia and the Americas took place around 1200, resulting in a mixture of populations in the remote South Marquesas archipelago.
The Mystery of the First Encounter
It remains unclear whether Polynesians, Native Americans, or both peoples undertook the long journeys that brought them together. One theory suggests that South Americans from coastal Ecuador or Colombia ventured to East Polynesia.
Polynesians as Oceanic Explorers
Polynesians were legendary voyagers who navigated the vast Pacific Ocean in canoes. They found and settled islands scattered across millions of square miles, including Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and the Marquesas.
Evidence from Language and Culture
Striking similarities in languages and the remains of structures and stones offer clues to Polynesian voyages. The spread of foodstuffs like the sweet potato, of American origin but found across the Pacific, also supports the theory of prehistoric contact between the two continents.
The Genetic Legacy of Ancient Mariners
Scientists have used DNA analysis to chart the paths of ancient mariners. “We recapitulate, with genetic evidence, a prehistoric event that left no conclusive trace,” explains Andres Moreno Estrada, a co-author of the study.
Native American Ancestry in Polynesia
Genetic analysis reveals a Native American genetic signature among people on some of Polynesia’s easternmost islands. This signature indicates a common source among Colombia’s indigenous peoples, suggesting that Native Americans contributed to the Polynesian population in these areas.
Polynesians in the Americas
Despite Heyerdahl’s theories about Native American settlement of Polynesian islands, new DNA research supports the alternate explanation that Polynesians might have sailed to the Americas.
“We can speculate that possibly the Polynesians found the Americas, and there was some interaction with Native Americans,” says Alexander Ioannidis, another co-author of the study.
Easter Island: A Polynesian Enigma
The new study’s genetic results also shed light on the history of Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Previous studies have yielded conflicting conclusions about the presence of Native American ancestry on the island.
Ioannidis and his colleagues sampled DNA from 166 Easter Island inhabitants. They determined that admixture between Native American and Polynesian peoples didn’t occur until around 1380, although the island was settled by Polynesians by at least 1200.
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Pacific
The exact locations and timing of Native American and Polynesian encounters remain a subject of ongoing research. The shared history between these two peoples has left a lasting legacy in the Pacific Ocean.