scholars have divided islanders based largely on their physical appearance into groups called #melanesians #micronesians and #polynesians there controversy though about how closely the darker skinned melanesians and the lighter skinned polynesians are related

Genomic evidence from ancient Rapanui people from Easter Island shows that they had around 10% ancestry related to Andean people before Europeans arrived, evidence either that Native Americans lived on the island before Polynesians arrived in the 12-13th century or that Polynesians made it to mainland South America and then backtracked to the island.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07881-4

#Rapanui #Polynesians #PreColumbianAmerica #EasterIsland #AncientGenomes #AncientDNA #Admixture

Ancient Rapanui genomes reveal resilience and pre-European contact with the Americas - Nature

An analysis of 15 ancient genomes from individuals dating to AD 1670–1950 from Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) addresses questions about the population history of the island.

Nature
#Polynesians sailed to South America long before European colonists. They invented double canoes to roam the #Pacific Ocean and introduced chickens to Native #Americans. #climatechange #history #travel #explorers #research #archeology @nature @scienceadvances @wikipedia @livescience
https://www.news-cafe.eu/?go=news&n=13037
Polynesians sailed to South America long before European colonists - News Cafe

They invented double canoes to roam the Pacific Ocean and introduced chickens to Native Americans.

#Polynesians around the planet are united in their pride in #IamTongi, Tongan-Sāmoan teen from Kahuku, Hawai'i, now Seattle resident, for his #AmericanIdol win. Here's the next Bruddah Iz, talking about being "priced out of paradise" & why his audition song is James Blunt's *Monsters*.
https://youtu.be/S_MAesZsnMk
#Music
Iam Tongi Makes The Judges Cry With His Emotional Story And Song - American Idol 2023

YouTube
I found a more accessible article on the Pre-Columbian relationship between #Indigenous Americans and #Polynesians.

The research was published at the beginning of the pandemic, which I am sure explains why it didn't get the attention it deserved.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/dna-pre-columbian-contact-polynesians-native-americans
DNA reveals Native American presence in Polynesia centuries before Europeans arrived

New genomic research adds to growing evidence for ancient contact across the Pacific Ocean.

National Geographic
How do these findings change the relationship between the #Indigenous peoples of the Americas and #Polynesians / #Pasifika peoples? As distant relatives, coming to live in the Americas is a homecoming of sorts.