An international and interdisciplinary team of scientists has presented new research showing that the population of Easter Island has never declined. In addition, DNA research refuted the theory of total isolation of the island’s inhabitants, who, as it turned out, had contact with Native Americans.
The study was published in the journal Nature and Live Science briefly talks about it. The scientists analyzed DNA extracted from the remains of 15 representatives of the indigenous people of Easter Island. The remains are kept in a museum in France.
The results refuted two popular theories at once. Firstly, scientists have come to the conclusion that there has never been a sharp decline in the population on Easter Island. Although it was previously believed that the number of inhabitants had significantly decreased when the Europeans arrived compared to the period of settlement of the island.
Secondly, the analysis showed that Easter Islanders mixed with Native Americans. This suggests that these peoples were in contact, although it was previously believed that the islanders were completely isolated for centuries.
One popular theory is that the dramatic decline in the Polynesian island’s population may have been due to massive deforestation. The islanders needed tree trunks to transport the famous stone sculptures from the quarries to the shore.
Researchers have also linked the population decline to civil wars believed to have engulfed the island in the 17th century, a century before Europeans arrived.
However, a new study found that the 15 historical individuals whose remains were examined “showed no evidence of a genetic bottleneck indicating a collapse in the 17th century.”
Instead, DNA analysis provided scientists with evidence that the island’s small population grew steadily until the 1860s, when pirates began attacking the island. It was in those years that the island’s population declined by a third.
It is also interesting that the islanders probably had contact with the peoples who inhabited the territory of modern Chile. But Easter Island is located 3,700 kilometers west of mainland Chile.
