DNA suggests this culture contacted Indigenous Americans centuries before European explorers

Recent genetic research has challenged long-standing theories about the collapse of the Rapa Nui civilization on Easter Island, refuting the "ecocide" narrative and confirming pre-European contact between the island's inhabitants and Indigenous Americans. This surprising finding is the result of extensive research led by Mexican evolutionary anthropologist Víctor Moreno-Mayar, currently at the University of Copenhagen. Collaborating with institutions like the University of Lausanne and the Musée de l'Homme, the team extracted and analyzed ancient DNA from 15 individuals who lived between 1670 and 1950.

Moreno-Mayar and his team discovered that the genomes of these individuals showed no evidence of a population collapse prior to European contact. "We found no evidence of poor or declining genetic diversity; what we found is that genetic diversity was increasing. We can say that there was no collapse," he said, according to El Universal. This finding contradicts the theory of a demographic and social collapse caused by environmental degradation and overexploitation of resources, often referred to as "ecocide."

The researchers believe that the Rapa Nui people adapted to the environmental challenges on the island between the 13th and 18th centuries, weakening theories that poor resource management led to social collapse in the 16th or 17th centuries. Moreno-Mayar dismisses the "ecocide" theory, stating that archaeological evidence does not show remains of lethal weapons used in battle or human remains with traces of violence from armed conflicts. "There is no hard evidence supporting the collapse," he said.

In addition to refuting the collapse theory, the genetic analysis revealed that approximately ten percent of the Rapa Nui genetic heritage has Indigenous American origins. Moreno-Mayar explained, "We found in these remains that their genomes were 90% Polynesian, but, surprisingly, the 10% had genomes from Indigenous Americans," he said, according to El Universal. By analyzing the length of DNA blocks, the team determined that contact between the Rapa Nui and Indigenous Americans occurred between 1300 and 1400 AD.

This discovery reinforces the hypothesis that connections between the Pacific islands and the American continent occurred much earlier than previously thought. Although 3,700 kilometers of ocean separate Rapa Nui from South America, the genetic evidence suggests pre-European contact between the two populations. The findings imply that the Rapa Nui could have established commercial or cultural links with Indigenous peoples of the Americas centuries before European explorers arrived.

The samples used in the study were obtained from the Natural History Museum of Paris, ensuring minimally invasive sampling methods out of respect for the cultural significance of the remains. Before conducting the genetic analysis, the researchers confirmed that the remains were indeed from Rapa Nui. Moreno-Mayar noted, "Although they said they were from the island, it could be that they were not, so the first thing was to guarantee that they were indeed remains of Rapa Nui".

Upon obtaining these results, the team traveled to Easter Island to inform the inhabitants about the findings. They consulted the community about what information they wanted to learn from the studies. Moreno-Mayar explained, "They told us that they wanted to know when they had arrived on the island, as well as the relationship with other populations of the Polynesian islands, in addition to the kinship of the remains from the museum in Paris with present-day individuals".

The research highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in solving historical mysteries. Moreno-Mayar pointed out that to determine who arrived first—whether the Rapa Nui to America or Indigenous Americans to the island—it is necessary to rely on other disciplines, mainly history and archaeology. He stated, "It is said that geneticists can solve everything, but it is not so. To answer that question, it is necessary to look at history, to determine who had the best conditions to reach the other place".

Currently, Rapa Nui Island houses nearly 8,000 inhabitants who preserve their customs and traditions. Over 900 Moai statues, symbolizing revered ancestors, have been transported from distant quarries, indicating advanced Polynesian engineering and suggesting early oceanic navigation by Polynesians prior to European contact.

Deutsche Welle, CNN, Xinhua, and El Peridico reported on the discoveries, among other websites.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.