The video argues that ~8–10% Native American ancestry proves pre-European trans-oceanic contact. Earlier genetics estimated that share and placed admixture in a broad 1280–1495 CE window, but a 2024 study of four ancient Rapanui genomes found no evidence of pre-European Native American or South American admixture. The 2014 study was by Skoglund et al.; Ioannidis et al. was published in 2021, and 1228 was not an exact date. Moai carving and ahu construction began around 700–800 CE. Sweet potato was South American in origin, while chickens had Southeast Asian ancestry. Long-Ear/Short-Ear conflict stories remain oral tradition, not proof of genetically distinct tribes.
Ancient Rapa Nui genomes show no evidence of pre-European Native American admixture
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Key facts
- A 2024 study of four ancient Rapanui genomes found no genetic evidence of Native American or South American admixture before European contact.
- Earlier population-genetic studies estimated about 8–10% Native American ancestry in Rapanui and inferred a broad 1280–1495 CE contact window; they did not establish the exact year 1228.
- The 2014 study was by Skoglund et al.; Ioannidis et al. published in 2021 and reported the 1280–1495 estimate.
- Moai carving and ahu construction began around 700–800 CE, although many moai were carved between roughly 1200 and 1500.
- Sweet potato, known in Polynesia as kūmara, originated in South America and reached Polynesia before European contact, but its presence alone does not prove direct Rapa Nui–South American contact.
- Polynesian chickens had Southeast Asian ancestry; a South American ancestry link is not established.
- The Long Ears and Short Ears conflict story is oral tradition, not DNA evidence for two genetically distinct tribes or a documented war.
Sources
earthstoriez.com
Linked in video description
No trace of early contact between Rapanui and South ...popular-archaeology.com
The new study finds no genetic evidence that ancient inhabitants of Rapa Nui intermixed with South Americans.
Origins for the Rapanui of Easter Island Before European ...evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu
by RC Green · 2000 · Cited by 48 — settlers sailed from Rapa Nui on to South America circa 1100 AD (or perhaps in the century before) Rapa Nui to the South American coast favored by Finney (1994)
Did early Easter Islanders sail to South America before ...science.org
Now, DNA from people who lived on Rapa Nui before European contact suggests that may not be the case, throwing a wrench into one of the ...
Ancient Rapanui genomes reveal resilience and pre- ...nature.com
by JV Moreno-Mayar · 2024 · Cited by 35 — In particular, the only other ancient whole-genome Rapanui study carried out so far did not find evidence for Rapanui–Native American contact.
Early Settlers of Rapa Nui Had Contact With South Americaarchaeology.org
researchers have found evidence that early settlers of the southeastern Pacific island Rapa Nui had contact with South America as much as a ...
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