Genetic links between Native Hawaiians and Rapa Nui

Genetic research published in the journal Science has established a close ancestral connection between Native Hawaiians and the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). By analyzing whole-genome sequences from over 1,000 individuals across Polynesia, researchers determined that these two populations are each other’s closest relatives among the groups sampled.

The study suggests that both populations descend from “ultravoyagers” who likely originated from Mangareva in French Polynesia. Evidence indicates that a subset of the population that reached Rapa Nui in the 1200s may have subsequently traveled more than 4,400 miles (7,100 km) across the Pacific in double-hulled sailing canoes to settle Hawaii within the same century.

Researchers noted that in 61% of reconstructed family trees, Hawaii and Rapa Nui were paired together. The findings highlight significant cumulative founder effects, where genetic diversity decreases with successive migration events. These early settlers are believed to have transported essential plants and animals, including bananas, taro, sweet potato, and chickens, to support life on the new islands.