Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is renowned for its enormous statues and barren terrain, capturing the attention of researchers for many years. A recent genetic study challenges the widely accepted belief that the Rapanui population decreased dramatically due to ‘ecocide,’ and reveals that the Rapanui people mixed with Indigenous Americans long before European contact.
Rapa Nui, also referred to as Te Pito o Te Henua (the navel of the world), is one of the most remote inhabited locations on the planet. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, it lies over 1,900 kilometers from the nearest inhabited Polynesian island and 3,700 kilometers from South America. Despite extensive research by archaeologists, anthropologists, and geneticists on the island, the history of the Rapanui people still has two major points of contention. One is the population decline attributed to “ecocide” in the 1600s, which is believed to have resulted from overpopulation and misuse of resources. The second significant debate concerns whether the ancestors of the Rapanui ever interacted with Indigenous Americans before the Europeans’ arrival in 1722.
This week’s edition of Nature includes a genetic analysis that addresses these historical debates by studying the genomes of 15 Rapanui individuals who lived between 1670 and 1950. The remains of these individuals are housed at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. The study was led by an international team of scientists, including Assistant Professor VÃctor Moreno-Mayar from the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), PhD student Bárbara Sousa da Mota, and Associate Professor Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas from the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), who worked closely with colleagues from Rapa Nui, Austria, France, Chile, Australia, and the USA.
The collapse that never occurred
The narrative of the Rapanui has often served as a cautionary tale against the over-exploitation of resources. After Polynesians settled Rapa Nui around 1250, the island underwent significant transformation. The iconic stone statues, known as moai, were created and placed throughout the island, while the original forests of palm trees rapidly diminished and were nearly nonexistent by the 1600s. Under the “ecocide” theory, where a population of over 15,000 Rapanui people exhausted resources, it is claimed that this led to resource shortage, famine, war, and even cannibalism, resulting in a catastrophic population decline.
“While the impact of human activities, like deforestation, on Rapa Nui’s environment is well-documented, it was unclear whether and how these changes caused a population decline,” explains Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Associate Professor at the University of Lausanne and co-author of the study.
The researchers anticipated discovering a genetic indication of a population drop, such as a sudden loss of genetic diversity among the ancient Rapanui. However, their findings revealed no such evidence of population decline in the 1600s.
“Our genetic research indicates a steadily growing population from the 13th century up until European contact in the 18th century. This stability is significant because it directly counters the theory of a pre-contact population collapse,” states Bárbara Sousa da Mota, the first author of the study.
The analysis conducted by Moreno-Mayar, Sousa da Mota, Malaspinas, and their team not only refutes the collapse theory but also emphasizes the resilience of the Rapanui population as they navigated environmental challenges for centuries, only facing disruptions due to European colonization after 1722.
Did Polynesians reach the Americas?
Another intriguing question for researchers has been whether Polynesians ever made it to the Americas. While long-distance navigation with wooden boats likely ceased after deforestation in Rapa Nui, archaeological and genetic evidence from modern individuals suggest that such voyages may have occurred. Nonetheless, earlier studies analyzing limited DNA from ancient Polynesians did not support the theory of transpacific travel, leading to doubts about interactions between Polynesians and Indigenous Americans, which were thought to be facilitated by European colonialism after 1722.
By creating high-quality ancient genomes from the 15 Rapanui individuals, the research team significantly expanded the genomic data available from Rapa Nui and discovered that about 10 percent of the Rapanui genetic makeup has Indigenous American origins. More importantly, they concluded that both populations had interactions prior to Europeans arriving in either location.
“We analyzed how Indigenous American DNA was distributed within the Polynesian genetic framework of the Rapanui. The distribution indicates contact likely occurred between the 13th and 15th centuries,” explains VÃctor Moreno-Mayar, the study’s lead author.
“While our research doesn’t pinpoint where this interaction took place, it does suggest that Rapanui ancestors may have traveled to the Americas before Columbus,” adds Malaspinas.
In summary, the findings from this new study clarify longstanding controversies surrounding Rapanui history.
“I personally believe the concept of ecocide has been shaped by a colonial narrative. It suggests that these so-called primitive people were incapable of managing their culture or resources, leading them towards demise. But genetic evidence contradicts this. Even though human arrival significantly altered the ecosystem, there is no indication of a population collapse before Europeans arrived,” remarks Moreno-Mayar.
“Many assumed that the current Rapanui population possessed Indigenous American genetic traits due to European colonialism. However, the data strongly indicates that the Rapanui and Indigenous Americans mixed long before Europeans reached Rapa Nui or the Americas. This suggests that the Rapanui achieved more remarkable oceanic navigation than previously recognized,” adds Sousa da Mota.
Future repatriation endeavors
Notably, the scientists engaged in discussions with the Rapanui community and the “Comision Asesora de Monumentos Nacionales” in Rapa Nui (CAMN). This collaboration helped shape their research and determine questions of mutual interest for both scientists and the community. For example, they confirmed that the individuals most genetically similar to the ancient Rapanui are indeed those living on the island today.
“We’ve observed that museum collections often contain errors and misidentifications. Knowing for certain that these 15 individuals were Rapanui, we believe they rightfully belong back on the island,” states Moana Gorman Edmunds, an archaeologist from Rapa Nui and co-author of the study.
Moreover, when preliminary results were shared with members of the Rapanui community, discussions about repatriating their ancestors emerged as a primary objective for future actions.
“We now have solid, evidence-based arguments to initiate crucial discussions regarding the return of these remains to the island. Additionally, through CAMN, the Rapanui community will retain authority over who receives the genetic data from their ancestors and its intended applications,” concludes Gorman Edmunds.