The study of East Polynesian history through an archaeogenomic time transect

• Applicant: Michal Feldman, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547362354

Polynesia, a group of over one thousand islands spread over the Pacific Ocean, was the easternmost frontier for one of the greatest human expansions into the open ocean, beginning in southeast Asia, around 5,000 years before present (BP) and reaching the most remote islands of the Pacific by 700 BP. According to the prevailing theory, East Polynesia has been settled from the west by 1,000 BP, in a series of founder events. However, the timing and sequence of its peopling has been highly debated. Furthermore, little is known about factors that may have been central in shaping the biological and cultural diversity of contemporary East Polynesians, such as inter-island movements following the initial settlement; the diversification of social structures throughout the region; and past disease outbreaks. In recent years, advances in archaeogenetics have allowed for the reconstruction of ancient genomes from regions with challenging conditions for DNA preservation, including the Pacific region. This helped gain insights into patterns of human mobility, past social organization, and pathogen evolution. Here, we propose to sequence the genomes of at least 100 ancient individuals sampled from the five archipelagos of French Polynesia, forming a temporal transect spanning from the early East Polynesian settlement and onto post-European-contact periods. We will combine these data with present-day and ancient references to investigate the genetic origins of the first settlers of East Polynesia, uncover which populations contributed to the genetic heritage of contemporary East Polynesians and when they admixed together. We will evaluate the role of pathogens in crises experienced by East Polynesians, by combining palaeopathological examination, and ancient pathogen screening. Finally, we will examine biological kinship within two large archaeological sites in the Marquesas Islands, which will provide insights into residence patterns, sex-biased mobility, and parental relatedness in ancient East Polynesian societies. By this diachronic approach, we expect to provide direct evidence to help record the history of Eastern Polynesia and to shed new light onto the Oceanic past.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Australia, France, French Polynesia
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Cosimo Posth; Maria Alexandra Spyrou, Ph.D.
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Eric Conte; Guillaume Molle; Dr. Etienne Patin; Anatauarii Tamarii; Dr. Frédérique Valentin