A genetic study suggests that the first people to settle Hawaii included voyagers from Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, who crossed thousands of kilometres of the Pacific. The researchers estimate that the journey probably took place in the 13th century, though the study reconstructs ancient migrations from genetic evidence rather than direct historical records.

The team analyzed DNA from more than 1,000 Polynesians, including 317 Native Hawaiians, 12 people from Rapa Nui and eight from Mangareva, as well as participants from several other island groups. In 61% of thousands of reconstructed family trees, Hawaii and Rapa Nui appeared together. The researchers said they checked the result using four different approaches.

The findings indicate that the settlers of Rapa Nui had first travelled there from Mangareva, in French Polynesia, more than 2,400 kilometres away. Some then continued on to Hawaii, which lies more than 7,100 kilometres from Rapa Nui. Among Native Hawaiians, ancestry associated with Mangareva was second only to that linked to Rapa Nui, according to the study.

The researchers describe the long-distance voyagers as Holomoana Nui, a Hawaiian phrase meaning “great ocean voyage.” They say the travelers may have carried plants such as bananas, taro and sweet potatoes, along with animals including chickens, to establish communities on newly reached islands.

The study also included detailed analysis of Tahitian genomes. Based on those data, the researchers estimated that around 800 people founded a population on Tahiti around 1070. They said Hawaii’s founding population was unlikely to have been larger, given the greater distance involved in reaching the archipelago.

The research has potential implications for understanding genetic disease risks in Polynesian communities. When a small group establishes a new population, the resulting founder effect can reduce genetic diversity and make some rare variants more common. The study’s co-author Keolu Fox said the researchers identified disease-linked variants associated with kidney disease and blindness that occur at notable frequencies in French Polynesia.

Sources: Folha Ciência.