Ancient DNA confirms Easter Island link to Hawaii
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Researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego analysed DNA from over 1,000 Polynesian people and discovered that native Hawaiians share the closest genetic relationship with the people of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui.
The study revealed that people from Easter Island likely arrived in Hawaii in the 1200s, after first settling on the island around the same time after travelling from Mangareva Island in French Polynesia, a country in the South Pacific.
Scientists used whole genomes to trace family trees across the islands, finding that Hawaii and Rapa Nui appeared together in 61% of the reconstructed trees. The researchers call the group of voyagers responsible for these journeys Holomoana Nui, meaning “great ocean voyaging” in Hawaiian. They believe the people travelled in double-hulled canoes, carrying plants like bananas, taro, and sweet potatoes, as well as animals like chickens, to establish new settlements.
This new genetic evidence builds on previous work tracking Polynesian migration patterns and extends them to Hawaii, the northernmost island in the Polynesian triangle. This research also has implications for understanding health risks within Polynesian populations. The study found that the repeated establishment of small settlements, called “founder effects”, may have concentrated rare genetic variants linked to diseases like kidney disease and blindness.
Researchers suggest that genetic screenings, similar to those used in other isolated populations, could benefit native Hawaiians and other Polynesians.
