Dispersal, Isolation, and Interaction in the Islands of Polynesia: A Critical Review of Archaeological and Genetic Evidence

Abstract

Integration of archaeology, modern genetics, and ancient DNA holds promise for the reconstruction of the human past. We examine the advances in research on the indigenous peoples of Polynesia to determine: (1) what do archaeological and genetic data (ancient and modern DNA) tell us about the origins of Polynesians; and, (2) what evidence is there for long-distance travel and contacts between Polynesians and indigenous populations of the Americas? We note that the general dispersal pattern of founding human populations in the remote islands of the Pacific and long-distance interaction spheres continue to reflect well-established models. New research suggests that the formation of an Ancestral Polynesia Culture in Western Polynesia may have involved differential patterns of dispersal followed by significant later migrations. It has also been suggested that the pause between the settlement of Western and Eastern Polynesia was centuries longer than currently thought, followed by a remarkably rapid pulse of island colonization. Long-distance travel between islands of the Pacific is currently best documented through the sourcing of artifacts, while the discovery of admixture of Native American DNA within the genome of the people from Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is strong new evidence for sustained contacts between Polynesia and the Americas.

Human mediated translocation of Pacific paper mulberry [Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent. (Moraceae)]: Genetic evidence of dispersal routes in Remote Oceania

“…Additional important dispersal hubs are present on the Marquesas archipelago, particularly the southern islands of Fatu Hiva and Tahuata, linking this archipelago to Hawaii and Pitcairn. Radiocarbon dating indicates a rapid (70–265 years) colonization between the Marquesas, Pitcairn, the Society Islands, Hawaii and Rapa Nui [60] with inter island exchange networks lasting until about the 14 th century AD [61]. The links between archipelagos such as Hawaii and the Marquesas, and between Hawaii and the Austral Islands are consistent with the archaeological evidence of long-distance trading networks and transport of lithic artifacts among these island groups [62, 63].…”

Obsidian and volcanic glass artifact evidence for long-distance voyaging to the Polynesian Outlier island of Tikopia

“…Anthropologists base these regional categories on historical linguistics and shared cultural traits that imply a common history of long-distance exploration and island colonization. This history began with the settlement of the remote Oceanic islands of western Polynesia, followed considerably later by expansion into eastern Polynesia, in one of the geographically most expansive human migrations in history (for recent summaries, see Horsburgh and McCoy, 2017; Kirch, 2017, pp. 184–211).…”

“…This map shows the general pattern of pulse-and-pause settlement of the remote islands of Polynesia: (1) movement of Lapita peoples with ancestry in Southeast Asia and New Guinea to the island groups that would become western Polynesia (WP); (2) the dispersal from WP to central eastern Polynesia (CEP); and (3) the settlement of the Polynesian Outliers (PO) in Melanesia and Micronesia from WP, and the settlement of islands of marginal eastern Polynesia (MEP) from CEP. Source: Horsburgh and McCoy (2017). Base map: OpenStreetMap.…”

The Site Problem: A Critical Review of the Site Concept in Archaeology in the Digital Age

“…(Burley, Weisler, and Zhao 2012), and in some cases less than 800 B.P. (Dye 2015); and the common sets of traditions and technologies mean there should be broad similarities in site types (Horsburgh and McCoy 2017). I end with three modest suggestions for moving forward that, while on their own not revolutionary, will be required to mitigate the inherently problematic aspects of the site concept-like the lack of a universal definition of what constitutes a site-that have been amplified by the "geospatial revolution" (Chase et al 2012).…”

“…The first people to discover and settle Polynesia began arriving no earlier than 3800 B.P., and in many cases no earlier than 800 B.P. (Horsburgh and McCoy 2017). The combination of historical linguistics, comparative ethnography, oral histories, and archaeology has allowed us to define a number of sub-regions, including Western Polynesia (e.g., Tonga, Samoa), which has the longest culture histories, and the most recent island groups to have been settled, Marginal Eastern Polynesia (e.g., the Hawaiian Islands, Rapa Nui [Easter Island], Aotearoa [New Zealand]).…”